It has been a long time since an interior lineman went as high as Mike Pouncey did when the Dolphins took him with the 15th overall pick, but he’s still being thought of as the safest pick the team could have made.
They were in a position to roll the dice on a quarterback or grab Mark Ingram, but went with a player that general manager Jeff Ireland said he felt the most comfortable with at that point in the draft.
“I think it’s a good, safe pick,” Ireland said. “I think I know exactly what I’m getting with Pouncey, and that makes me feel pretty good that we’ve solidified an offensive line here.”
Ireland’s view goes right along with what everyone was saying about Pouncey in the months leading up to the draft. About the only question anyone had about Pouncey was whether he would be playing guard or center at the professional level. Ireland cleared that up late on Thursday by saying that he’s being viewed as a center.
Pouncey had a rough debut at the position in Florida’s first game of the 2010 season when he screwed up 13 snaps. He showed improvement, however, and the Dolphins clearly believe he will continue to do so as he steps up to the NFL.