The Dolphins had a great pass rusher in Jason Taylor. They have a couple of great pass rushers in Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon. They hope to eventually have a great pass rusher in Dion Jordan.
To help Jordan get the most out of his potential, the Dolphins have arranged for Taylor to help tutor the third overall pick in the 2013 draft. In a recent visit with NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk, Taylor talked about Jordan’s development.
“It was really his first year putting his hand in the dirt, being able to play defensive end from the dirt so in my little bit of experience working with him in the last few weeks, he’s a bright kid, he’s very very athletic, very talented, quick fast long can play with leverage,” Taylor said. “Coming off a shoulder injury last year he had a bit of a setback and didn’t have a chance to really come into camp and understand what he needed to do to get ready to play, but having a whole offseason healthy and being able to concentrate on football and learn some of the intricacies of the game, using his hands better and playing with better leverage and realizing you can’t just speed rush everybody in this league on every play. That’s one of the things I talked to him about. You have to come up with a counter move and use his length and his athleticism.
“He’s learning. He’s a young kid, he’s a sponge though. It’s great to work with someone like that, he’s a sponge and has unbelievable control of his body athletically and one of those guys where you can tell him what to do, show him what to do and he’ll translate that and do it himself so I look forward to watching him play this year, I think he’ll have a big year and hopefully I’ll get a chance to work with him in training camp and see his progression.”
Ideally, the Dolphins will be able to develop a true rotation at the position, with Wake, Vernon, and Jordan each using their skills in a way that keeps them fresher -- and that eventually wears down an opposing offensive line. If Jordan can indeed develop with the help of Taylor and others, Jordan could become the guy the Dolphins hoped he’d be when trading up from No. 12 to No. 3 a mere 14 months ago.