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Round (Pick) Player College
1(19) CB Cedric Griffin Texas
2(40) DE Ray Edwards Purdue
2(43) DE Stanley McClover Auburn
3(67) DE Kamerion Wimbley Florida State
4(91) S Pat Watkins Florida State
5(115) DT Orien Harris Miami
6(139) LB Brian Iwuh Colorado
7(163) S Dwayne Slay Texas Tech |
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The Ocean City Hammerheads' season four (2019) PFL Draft drew criticism from Hammerheads' fans and PFL experts alike as the team used all eight of their selections on defensive players - with four of the eight being defensive linemen.
With the 19th overall pick of the first round, the Hammerheads selected CB Cedric Griffin - a cornerback who will be heavily relied upon in the secondary - likely as a starter from day one. He will likely replace CB Lito |
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Sheppard as the starter opposite CB Shaun Kiniry. The Hammerheads' front office felt that Griffin had the most potential upside of any of the remaining cornerbacks available in the draft and was the best player available in the mind of the front office. WIth the 40th overall selection in the second round, the Hammerheads selected DE Ray Edwards out of Purdue. The Hammerheads' front office actually had ranked Edwards extremely high on their board and wrestled with the decision of taking him or Griffin in the first round, and were absolutely astonished that Edwards slid into the second round. Edwards will likely start at left defensive end for the Hammerheads, allowing DE/DT Dave Hutton to slide into the middle at DT. Edwards is a strong, agile end who is stout against the run and a threat to rush the passer - a multi-faceted lineman that the Hammerheads covet. Three picks later - the 43rd overall selection in the second round - the Hammerheads selected DE Stanley McClover out of Auburn. McClover is a sensationally speedy defensive end who is likely to be a pass rushing specialist in passing situations. With the 67th overall selection in the third round, the Hammerheads selected their third straight defensive end - DE Kamerion Wimbley - out of Florida State. The Hammerheads were astonished Wimbley slid as far as he did and chose him on the merit of the "best player available". Wimbley is likely to be integrated in nickle and dime packages as a pass rusher, but he has the potential to emerge as an every down end. With the 91st overall selection in the fourth round, the Hammerheads selected S Pat Watkins out of Florida State. Watkins, a 6'4" safety, is expected to take the starting free safety spot from incumbent S Sean Jones. Watkins' addition to the secondary would give Ocean City two 6'4" giants as the last line of the Hammerheads' defense, which the front office believes can lead to better pass coverage via favorable matchups against tight ends and wide receivers. With the 115th overall pick in the 5th round, the Hammerheads selected DT Orien Harris out of Miami. Harris was drafted due to "best player available" credentials and figures to potentially play a role in the Hammerheads' rotation at defensive tackle. It's uncertain if he will be able to beat out last year's 6th rounder DT Tony Williams for a roster spot. This is a positional battle that should be watched in training camp. With the 139th overall selection in the 6th round, the Hammerheads selected speedy linebacker Brian Iwuh out of Colorado. Iwuh is slated to be a special teamer in coverages and could potentially earn some playing time in certain schemes due to his sheer speed. With the 163rd overall selection in the seventh round, the Hammerheads selected S Dwayne Slay out of Texas Tech. Slay could make the team as a special teamer and will likely battle safeties Nick Andrews and Sean Jones for a roster spot.
On the draft, head coach/GM Joshua Biddle said, "I feel very confident with the group of guys we brought in here. Some people may look at our draft and say 'what the hell were they thinking putting so much stock in one position', but I am a firm believer that a pass rush really makes the defense. We struggled last season in finishing off games defensively, so we took some measures through adding a starting caliber cornerback and filling the defensive trench with four solid players. We'll see what happens and I'll address their progress as camp progresses and at the end of camp".
The Hammerheads are coming off of a strong 12-4 season, clinching a first round bye before being eliminated from the playoffs by the Boston Blizzard in a very close game. |
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