*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***

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Apr 20, 1996: -- Daryl Gardener is First Pick --

DRAFT CHOICE:

With their first pick (#20) in the NFL draft, the Dolphins have selected defensive tackle Daryl Gardener from Baylor. Gardener is a 6'6", 320 lb player with 4.9 speed. According to ESPN, 29% of Gardener's tackles in college were either behind the line of scrimmage or for sacks. During the 1995 season, he had 59 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

The knock on Gardener has been that he doesn't play hard a lot of the time. Apparently, during the senior bowl, he really wowed the scouts with his physical ability during workouts, but disappeared during the game.

My Comments:

I really expected that Jimmy would trade down in the draft, but perhaps no one would give him what he wanted. Watching the draft live, it looked as if JJ was trying to make a trade at the last minute, but couldn't get it done.

The combination of Gardener and Bowens in the middle of the defensive line has the potential to be a truly scary pair. However, Jimmy must find a way to motivate Gardener that no one else has found.