We know that the Dolphins are toying with the idea of Dion Jordan playing on their special teams units, but that’s not the only place where they are still putting together their plans for the third overall pick in the 2013 draft.
His role on defense is also up in the air as the team starts its rookie minicamp on Friday. When Jordan was drafted, the assumption was that he would line up on the opposite side of the line from defensive end Cameron Wake and give the Dolphins a double-barrelled pass rush in the years to come. While that’s surely going to be a big part of the job, Jordan didn’t play with his hand on the ground much at Oregon and spent time in coverage where his speed made him an effective foil for opposing receivers.
General Manager Jeff Ireland said that the team is going to take some time to figure out how to best deploy Jordan and that playing him at linebacker isn’t out of the question.
“Could be,” Ireland said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “That’s what I like about him. He’s very versatile and he played linebacker there and he also rushed the passer. [When] we get our hands on him, [we will] see where the best place he’ll fit. We’ve got a great vision for him. Part of that’s going to be rushing the passer but the other part’s up to [coach Joe Philbin].”
Defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle’s scheme was described as having hybrid fronts heading into last season, but the Dolphins wound up looking like a team that ran a 4-3 front the majority of the time. As a hybrid player, Jordan gives the Dolphins the chance to experiment with different looks and it looks like a chance they’ll take.
Thanks to NFL rules barring rookies from joining their teams in full until after their school has completed its academic year, this weekend will be the Dolphins’ only chance to work directly with Jordan before training camp and it seems like they’ll have plenty to cover before he heads back to Oregon.