I must say, I was pretty nervous entering Thursday's NFL Draft.

You never know what's going to happen; there's always a player no one expects will drop who for whatever reason does, and there's always a reach by another team that puts a primetime player within the grasp of your favorite team.

Thursday, the shockers came at quarterback, where Tennessee took Jake Locker with the eighth pick, and more surprisingly, Minnesota spent its 12th selection on former FSU QB Christian Ponder -- whom experts said would not be taken until at least the second round.

Missouri's Blaine Gabbert fell to 10th, where Jacksonville chose him, and in an even bigger surprise, Clemson's Da'Quan Bowers, one of the top defensive ends in the draft, was not selected in the first round.

As the Dolphins' pick approached, my anxiety increased. Ryan Mallett and Andy Dalton were still on the board, as was Mark Ingram, three players the media had speculated the Dolphins would take.

I didn't like any of the three for various reasons, but in the end, this regime made a not-so-surprising pick by shoring up a porous offensive line with the choice of center Mike Pouncey of Florida.

Pouncey twin brother Maurkice, also from Florida, was selected 18th by the Pittsburgh Steelers last year, and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

His brother has that kind of ability; he's an athletic player who can play either guard or center, where he would challenge incumbents Joe Berger and Richie Incognito.

The Dolphins fell from fourth in the NFL in rushing in 2009 to 21st last year, and one of the main reasons was a falloff in offensive line play. Poor pass protection also contributed to Chad Henne's woes at QB last year.

It's the typical Bill Parcells pick, eschewing a skill position player for a lineman, and though he's no longer around, Parcells' fingerprints were all over this choice. In fact, it's the third straight year the Dolphins have chosen a lineman in the first round.

Unfortunately, Miami does not have a second-round choice, as a result of the Brandon Marshall trade, but I wonder if General Manager Jeff Ireland liked a QB enough (say either Dalton or Mallett), would that entice the Dolphins to trade back into the round?

I didn't like either QB as a first-round pick, but I like them both in the second. I'm slightly more enamored with Mallett because of his rocket arm, but Dalton is a heady player who can help, too.

Like last year's draft, the Pouncey choice wasn't an especially sexy pick, but it was a solid one. Now, let's see what Miami can get in the later rounds.