*** DOLPHINS NEWS ***
Jun 25, 1998: -- Strikwerda Signed --
The Dolphins announced yesterday that they have signed center
Nathan Strikwerda, their 8th pick overall and their first pick in the
6th round of this year's draft to a 3 year contract for undisclosed
terms. This makes Strikwerda the first Dolphins draft pick to sign
this year.
Strikwerda played his college football at Northwestern
University and is currently listed at 6'4" and 300 pounds. He started
the final 24 games that he played at Northwestern and was named the
Most Valuable Player on offense for the 1997 season.
Strikwerda holds the distinction of having scored the highest
of any player on this year's Wonderlich test at the Indianapolis
combine. The Wonderlich is a test of general intelligence given to
every player who attends.
He is a player that does not really have exceptional athletic
talent, but he is very smart and does not make many mistakes. He also
is an accomplished long-snapper, which may help his chances to make
the team.
My Comments:
While terms of his contract were undisclosed, as a 6th round
pick, his base salary will be the rookie minimum (whatever that is
this year - anybody know?), plus a small signing bonus, probably in
the $20-$40,000 range. Last year's rookie minimum was $131,000, but
with the new TV contracts, that has gone up some.
I like Nathan Strikwerda, because he gets by on toughness and
smarts, rather than on athletic ability. They say that he does have
good strength in the weight room, but that that doesn't always
transfer to the football field.
He is not an overpowering player, but centers need to be the
smartest players on the offensive line because they frequently designate
the blocking schemes for the other offensive linemen. Plus, because
of the position, their attitude can have an impact on the other
offensive linemen.
Strikwerda does have a tough challenge ahead of him. In order
to make the team as a center, he will probably have to beat out John
Bock, who can also play guard and who played very well in relief of
Tim Ruddy last year. However, his ability to long-snap may give him
an edge.
In my review of the videotape of his play at Northwestern, I
was not overwhelmed by what I saw, either positively or negatively.
He is tough, but is not terribly strong. He did not blow a lot of
people off the line, but he does continue his blocks downfield and
works continuously to find other players to take on, even when the
play is not in his area of the field.
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Curt Fennell,
curt@phins.com, DOLFAN in New Rochelle (almost)
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