I know. The management is stupid, and horribly shortsighted. The same thing is going to bite the Dolphins in the ass when their fans realized they sold out for a team whose ceiling is 9-7.

as many as it takes

Unless you are Reggie White, 290 pound guys just don't play RDE in this league.

The most successful guys who are close are Peppers and Williams, who are 6'6"-6'7" and weigh 280.

That's a lot different from 6'2" 280, like McBride. He's just not quick enough to play RDE.

That's fine, but it should ensure Carl's fate. Couple this with the Larry contract, and the outcome has to be obvious.

In the NFL, the 320 lb LT across from you is going to be plenty strong too. The big guy will plow the little guy in the run game. I'm not saying don't draft him, but to just say size doesn't matter is wrong. What 260 lb RDE is strong against the run? That's not the primary role that the RDE plays but you want someone that can hold their own.

I'm just relating what I was remembering about the selection. He was identified as a pass rusher, not simply a run stuffer.

A 260 pound guy who uses leverage well and can bench and squat more than said 320 lb. LT will whip his ass at the point of attack. Besides, Cover 2 DE's aren't run stuffers. With that being said, Orakpo plays the run as well as you could hope for. He's not Dwight Freeney.

Orakpo's 500 lb. bench is great, very impressive by all accounts, but Brian Waters, for example, puts up over 600 lbs.

Bottom line, Orakpo's not going to "out-strength" a lot of players.

Orakpo is 6-4" and a small 260. Hence my question about is size. Not saying we shouldn't draft him.

I love Orakpo's production and physical tools, and I agree he's probably the next best target if Stafford is gone. However, I can't get over the fact that Texas has such a huge bust rate for pro players, and I wish Orakpo was a bit longer. 6'3" isn't ideal for a DE you're using a top five pick on.

Brian Waters is perhaps the strongest guy in the NFL, and he's also playing guard. He's going to be taking on DTs, not RDE's in the run game. It also helps that Waters has short arms, FWIW.

Look at it this way:

Gholston put up as much weight as Jake Long at the combine last year. Long is about as strong of a tackle as you'll find, but in a bullrush situation, he's going to have his hands full with either Gholston or Orakpo.

John Abraham is a small 260.
Jared Allen is a small 260.

Brian Orakpo is not a small 260.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...orakpo_400.jpg

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What did the Dolphins sell out? They signed a lot of free agents but none of them got huge deals. Parcells knows what he's doing and that team is on the way up. Long, Langford, Merling, D. Thomas are all good young players and that team is on the rise and will be very good in the years ahead.

You really should watch that video if you question his strength.