Omar Kelly: "Ted Ginn Jr. is not a Bust"

            Remember Ted Ginn? The explosive receiver & return specialist from Ohio State that the Dolphins drafted with the 9^th overall pick back in 2007. Over his 3 year career in Miami, he caught 128 balls for 1664 yards & only 5 touchdowns, to go along with 2 rushing td’s & 3 td’s on special teams. I don’t know about you but I would say that is terrible production for a top 10 receiver. In my opinion, Ted Ginn was one of the worst draft picks for Miami over the last decade.  

            Omar Kelly, one of the best known beat writers for the Dolphins & a man that I follow on Twitter, thinks he wasn’t too bad. Last week, a discussion was brought up on Twitter about his top 3 Dolphins busts in the last 10 years. He said John Beck, Pat White, & Patrick Turner. All those players came in with high expectations but they didn’t last long in Miami so I agree. Another follower stated Ted Ginn, which Kelly replied: “Ted Ginn has had a productive NFL career & he’s still playing.” He offers his definition on a bust in the NFL: “a player your team selected high who not only didn’t live up to expectation, but was pushed out the league quickly.” So because Ginn is about to play his 9^th season in the league while scoring over 20 touchdowns in his career, Omar Kelly believes he is far from a bust.

            My definition of a bust is simple. It all depends on your investment on a player & the value you’re getting back. So a top 5 quarterback with expectations of becoming the long-term starter but ends up being a career backup is a bust. On the other hand, Tom Brady, a 6^th round pick by the Patriots but ended up becoming one of the best QB’s in the NFL with 4 Super Bowl rings, is a steal. Ted Ginn is a bust because he didn’t come close to reaching top 10 expectations. I hated that pick & I could’ve told the Dolphins Ted Ginn was a terrible pick, and Pat White. They basically reached for a 4.2 return specialist in the top 10. White, a West Virginia prospect who had the record for most career rushing yards for a QB at the time, was drafted in the 2nd round in 2009 to pretty much be a sub-in for the Dolphins Wildcat formation. Omar Kelly then explains his reasoning why Ted Ginn didn’t succeed with the Dolphins & this is where he lost me. He said the Dolphins forced him out onto the field when he wasn’t ready & all he did was make mistakes. So I’m thinking about last year’s receiver class, which was probably the best in NFL history. You had Odell Beckham Jr., who went to the Giants with the 12^th pick & missed the first 4 games, but still ended up with 1,305 yards & 12 td’s on 91 catches. Then you had Allen Hurns, who went UNDRAFTED, put up 677 yards & 6 td’s for the Jaguars. You also had Sammy Watkins, Kelvin Benjamin, Mike Evans, Jordan Matthews, Brandin Cooks, Josh Brown, Martavis Bryant, & Jarvis Landry (2^nd round pick for the Dolphins, would you look at that.) So you telling me that Ted Ginn, the 9^th overall pick, wasn’t even ready to play. That’s crazy.