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The Miami Dolphins concede that Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki could block better. They drafted him anyway Marcus Martin Jersey , which shows how much they like his pass-catching skills.

Gesicki was a second-round selection Friday in the Dolphins' latest attempt to fill a position that has been problematic since Adam Gase became coach two years ago.

The 6-foot-5 Gesicki was the second tight end drafted because his athleticism, including thunderous dunks in basketball and success in volleyball.

There's a reason he lasted until the 42nd overall pick, however.

"The one thing everyone talks about is him not being a great blocker," Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. "But there are a lot of really good tight ends and pass catchers who are not great blockers. And this kid wants to be a better blocker."

In the third round Miami drafted Ohio State linebacker Jerome Baker. He'll be reunited with another former Buckeyes linebacker, Raekwon McMillan, the Dolphins' second-round choice in 2017.

The Dolphins hope Gesicki's deficiencies don't keep him from starting as a rookie. He could give Ryan Tannehill the downfield target in the middle of the field that Miami has lacked in recent years.

"He's a hard matchup for people, being that big and athletic," Grier said. "The speed will open up other stuff."

Julius Thomas and Jordan Cameron were disappointments at tight end for Miami the past two years Youth Jamie McGinn Jersey , and they're no longer on the roster. Gesicki joins an offense that averaged 17.6 points last season to rank fifth-worst in the NFL, and he expects to help the Dolphins do better.

"I'm exactly where I belong," he said. "I'm excited to get to work in this offense. It can become very exciting in Miami."

Gesicki had 15 career touchdown catches at Penn State and averaged 11.5 yards per reception. He acknowledged he has room for improvement and expects to benefit from NFL coaching.

"I definitely need to continue to improve my run blocking," he said. "My best attributes are in the passing game, and I need to continue to develop on the other side."

While Gesicki's size made him an appealing choice, the 225-pound Baker is undersized. But he had seven sacks and a hand in six takeaways the past two seasons, and led the Buckeyes last year with 72 tackles.

"He has speed, and we want to get faster on defense Nate Thompson Jersey ," Grier said. "He's sideline to sideline."

Grier said the Dolphins considered using the pick to take a quarterback, but decided Baker was too good to pass up, and McMillan's assessment of his former Ohio State teammate was a factor.

"We had some insider trading with Raekwon," Grier said.

McMillan suffered a season-ending knee injury in the first exhibition game last year but is expected to start in 2018.

The Dolphins took Alabama All-America safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in the first round with the 11th overall choice. On the final day of the draft they'll be in the market for a defensive tackle and backup quarterback.

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Nick Perry thought it would be a “beautiful” day when the Green Bay Packers finally activated him from the physically unable to perform list and allowed him to start practicing.

As it turned out, Sunday was even better than that for the Packers outside linebacker.

“Like my dad says, ‘It’s an exquisite day,'” Perry said after coming off the PUP list in time to take part in Sunday’s closed practice. “I’m excited just to be out there and just be back with the team and put my best foot forward moving into the season.”

Perry missed the entire offseason program after ankle surgery following last season Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Jersey , and he has battled injuries throughout his career. The Packers have two preseason games remaining — Friday at Oakland and Aug. 30 at Kansas City — but it’s unclear whether Perry will play in either. The Packers practice Monday and Tuesday and will have a light practice Thursday before departing for Oakland.

“I would love to play Friday. That’s not my call, though,” Perry said. “I would love to play just to have an opportunity to go out there and get some real game reps down. But it’s only a couple days of practice this week. I’m just going to see how I feel moving from a day-to-day basis on whether or not I can take on that load. (The Raiders’) field isn’t as great, either. So that might be another reason why they might say, ‘Hey, just take it easy, wait for next week.'”

Perry said his ankle bothered him throughout last season, when he registered only seven sacks in the first year of a five-year Tyus Bowser Jersey , $59 million deal that included an $18 million guaranteed signing bonus and came after an 11-sack season in 2016.

He also dealt with a broken hand, which forced him to wear a club cast, and a shoulder injury while playing in only 12 of 16 games. Perry’s ankle became enough of an issue late in the season that he left the team’s must-win game at Carolina because of it.

Perry has no concerns about being ready for the team’s Sept. 9 regular-season opener against Chicago, and that he won’t have any trouble catching up in the Packers’ new defensive system, which has been installed by new coordinator Mike Pettine.

“We’re at a point where I don’t have a choice,” Perry said. “I think I’ll be fine, ultimately. My body is in good shape to handle a (work) load like that. So it’s just a matter of me getting into practice and fully getting a whole practice under my belt and continue to stack those days.

“I think everything else will take care of itself.”
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