Rd. # Player Pos. College 1 25 Darius Butler CB Connecticut General Manager: thePROD1GY

With the 25th pick of the 2009 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Miami Dolphins select Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler.

Here is thePROD1GY's reasoning for the pick:

After significant research it became clear that the Dolphins have 3 distinct areas of need: Cornerback, Outside Linebacker and Receiver. I was very tempted to select Darrius Heyward-Bey with the 25th pick but after consulting several members of The Phinsider, they explained to me that while receiver is definitely a need, they feel it can be addressed in the 2nd round with receivers like Hakeem Nicks or Kenny Brit. I then began to look at the OLB position, and with Curry, Matthews and Cushing all off the board I don't want to reach for a player like Larry English, Clint Sintim or Connor Barwin, especially in a draft that is this deep at the LB position. I was truly hoping that Vontae Davis would slip to 25 but that didn't happen.

After deciding that CB was the position I needed to focus on, I began to analyze both Darius Butler and Alphonso Smith. They are both great cornerbacks and definitely 1st-round material. Smith has a better resume and was slightly more productive in college. He is also regarded as a safer pick than Darius Butler which made the decision very tough. While Alphonso Smith maybe safer, Darius Butler has a much higher ceiling.

Darius Butler is a physically gifted corner with great speed, natural coverage skills and he is not afraid to step into the hole to make a tackle. He can play both CB and Safety, and versatility is always a plus, especially for a team that has older and occasionally injury prone players in the secondary.