3 waiver claims made; practice squad takes shape

As expected, Miami has been quick out of the gate in making waiver claims after every NFL team got down to 53 players.

The team was awarded C Andy Alleman from New Orleans, T Nate Garner from the New York Jets, and WR Brandon London from the New York Giants.

To make room for these three players, the team waived WR Anthony Armstrong, OL Trey Darilek, and LB Rob Ninkovich.

Alleman, 24, was a third-round draft pick of the Saints in 2007. He was inactive for all but one game last year, and dressed but did not play in the other. He is 6'4", 310 lbs. He played his last two years in college at Akron as a right guard (24 starts), but he will be playing center in Miami. He's an intriguing prospect because he has a great work ethic, but he needs time to learn his position, given that he played his first two college seasons as a defensive end. He's certainly raw but he has potential to be a starter in this league.

Garner (6'6", 334 lbs.) was a seventh-round draft pick of the Jets this past April. He is 23 years old.

He was a four-year letterman at Arkansas (2004-07) during which time he played in 37 games with 14 starts, including 13 at right tackle as a senior in 2007.

Here is an excerpt from the NFL's draft analysis of Garner:

Garner is a big, tall guy but is not very fast so he is not ideal for pulling. He has experience as a five-year senior and those players have generally worked out well in the pros. He is strong and projects as a possible depth player. He is a late bloomer who really made great improvement in his overall game as a senior. He has adequate power, but needs to generate more force when using his hands. He is best served on the right side, as he lacks the speed and hip snap to play on an island vs. the speedy edge rushers. He plays too tall in his stance to be effective pulling into the second level on a consistent basis, but his long reach and burst off the line lets him hold the rush lanes long enough for tailback to break into the open.

Finally, London (6'4", 210 lbs.) was an undrafted college free agent for the Giants in 2007. He is 23 years old. He spent the entire year last season on the Giants' practice squad.

In preseason this year, he caught seven passes for 86 yards. The 6-4, 210-pounder played four years at the University of Massachusetts (2003-06) and totaled 144 receptions for 1,991 and 15 touchdowns.

London provides the team with another big option at WR, and he can play special teams as well.

Also the team has begun filling its 8-man practice squad. Here are the five players that are currently on it:

1. CB Will Billingsley
2. WR Jayson Foster
3. T Daren Heerspink
4. RB Lex Hilliard
5. TE Matthew Mulligan