After not addressing its thin wide receiver corps in the draft, the Dolphins brought in several college free agents to compete for jobs. By far the best of the lot was Davone Bess of Hawaii.
Bess stood out at last weekend's rookie minicamp because of his glue-like hands and shoulder-length dreadlocks as he caught everything in sight. At a muscular 5-10, 190, Bess is hoping to fill a void in the slot left by last year's trade of Wes Welker to the Patriots.
The Dolphins also signed college free agent receivers Jayson Foster, Selwyn Lymon and Justin Wynn, but Bess seems the most likely to stick. His former coach at Hawaii, June Jones, was "shocked" that Bess didn't get drafted after finishing with a WAC-record 293 catches for 3,610 yards and 41 touchdowns in just three seasons.
"(Dolphins vice president Bill Parcells) is going to like him. When the game gets big, Davone gets bigger," Jones said. "I'd be shocked if he doesn't make plays for the Dolphins this year."
Jones and Bess believe that a poor 40-yard dash time (4.64) at the Combine, combined with an arrest when he was 17 for driving a car with stolen goods affected his draft status. But Jones and current Hawaii offensive coordinator Ron Lee both agree that Bess has been a, "model citizen," with an indomitable work ethic in the three years in Hawaii.
Bess must also overcome an apparent bias that's attached to Hawaii receivers among NFL execs because of the pass-happy offensive system. Only 49ers receiver Ashley Lelie has made a successful transition into the NFL, and even he has underachieved for a first-round pick (19th in 2002).
Dolphins wide receivers combined to catch just seven touchdown passes last season, about two weeks worth for Bess in Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense.
The Dolphins signed veteran receiver Ernest Wilford to bolster an inexperienced corps that includes a still-evolving Ted Ginn and an inconsistent Derek Hagan, so Bess has a solid shot of winning a job among an unheralded group that also features David Kircus, Greg Camarillo and oft-injured Tab Perry.
Bess may have run a slow 40, but his burst off the line makes him difficult to jam, a perfect attribute for a slot receiver. Even rookie quarterback Chad Henne singled Bess out for his, "great catches," last week.
"Sometimes you can look long and hard at receivers and not see ability for a long time," Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said of Bess. "With him, you see a bunch of it when you watch their tape. He's running and catching constantly."
The additions of Bess and the diminutive Foster could also offset the draft-day trade of Dolphins speedy tailback Lorenzo Booker, who was coming on as a third-down pass-catcher in the final four games last season.
"My specialty is my run after the catch and just my ability to get out there and make plays," Bess said. "Everybody's entitled to their own opinions, you can't judge people for what they think, but at the same time if you watch tape you can see where the flaws are, you can see where people are lacking and their weaknesses and consistency. I think I'm doing all right but I definitely can do better."
Foster and Bess will get a shot at returning kicks to complement Ginn, as well as take away some of the second-year returner's workload.
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