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With the 54th pick in Pride Of Detroit's 2013 NFL mock draft, the Miami Dolphins select Cincinnati tight end Travis Kelce. JazzyBBP is serving as the Dolphins' general manager, and his reasoning for the pick is below.
I took care of some major needs on defense with two great players in Xavier Rhodes and Alex Okafor; now it's time to give second-year QB Ryan Tannehill some help.
Remember in my first round write-up when I said Dolphins fans wanted offensive playmakers? They specifically told me RED ZONE playmakers. I didn't say the whole truth because us GMs have to have some misdirection ... I gambled he would be here and it paid off.
Travis Kelce is a perfect fit for the young Dolphins offense. He is a monster at 6'5" and 255 lbs. He can play in the slot or the end of the line of scrimmage, and he's an excellent hands catcher with 4.72 40 speed. He's incredibly athletic for someone with his size, and he was the Bearcats' leading receiver last season with 45 catches for 722 yards (16 yards per catch avg.) and 8 touchdowns. But best of all, he is the most complete tight end in this draft. In other words, this dude can BLOCK. I don't mean get-in-someone's-way block, I mean light-you-the hell-up-or-corkscrew-you-and-drive-you-into-the-ground-block.
He is what we Lions fans wish Brandon Pettigrew would be, and if Kelce is available when the Lions pick in the early third round, I hope they draft him. All Kelce needs is some pattern development and to learn to separate a bit better, but I'm just nitpicking.
Yes, I know the Dolphins signed the underrated Dustin Keller, but it's only a one-year contract and he is coming off of an injury-plagued season and can't block for squat. I also know the Dolphins drafted Michael Egnew out of Missouri in the third round last draft, but he is the guy the coaches and teammates constantly trashed during Hard Knocks and is probably going to get cut.
Kelce is at the top of my big board and I'm drafting him! With the depth on the offensive and defensive lines and in the secondary and at wide receiver in this draft, and with two picks in Round 3 (No. 77 and No. 82) and pick No. 111 in Round 4, I'm going to turn the Dolphins into the bullies of the AFC East!
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Check out the 2013 Pride Of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.