Dolphins meet with Clive Walford, Duke Johnson

The Miami Dolphins, who could be looking for a running back and a tight end in the first two rounds of the draft, met with former Univeristy of Miami stars Duke Johnson and Clive Walford at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Johnson, UM's all-time leading rusher, is expected to be drafted in the second round. Walford, generally regarded as the second-best tight end in the draft behind Minnesota's Maxx Williams, also is slated to be taken in the second round.

The Dolphins have the 14th pick in the first round.

The Dolphins could be looking for a running back to share the load with Lamar Miller, who rushed for 1,099 yards last season. He averaged 5.1 yards per carry on his 216 attempts, and scored nine touchdowns. But he was limited to 16 touches per game, which hints Miami needs another back to compliment him.

It is unlikely that Knowshon Moreno, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last season, will be re-signed.

This is the deepest crop of running back talent since the 2008 NFL Draft, led by first-round hopefuls Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon and Georgia's Todd Gurley.

The Dolphins are dealing with some uncertainty at the tight end position because starter Charles Clay is a free agent.

Walford would be a solid addition after dominating Senior Bowl practices, especially in red-zone drills.

“I have a great ability to jump,” Walford said. “In the red zone, I use my body and my jumping ability to go up over the top of defenders and grab the ball. I am the best tight end in this draft because I can block, I can catch, I can run after the catch, do everything that a tight end is expected to do.”

Walford, who caught 121 career passes and scored 14 touchdowns, also had combine meetings with the Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.

There are some questions about Walford's hands, though, as he's had his share of dropped passes.

Walford showed he was healthy at the Senior Bowl after undergoing an arthroscopic procedure on his right meniscus.

"It was very important because I was told that people thought I tore my medial collateral ligament, which I didn't," Walford said. "I just had a scope on my right meniscus. I just wanted to go out and show everybody that I was healthy."


(sun-sentinel.com)