2010 has been treating  former Penn State great Jared Odrick quite well. First it was a victory over LSU, then All-American honors, a first-round draft pick followed, and now he has inked a deal with the Miami Dolphins, the team who selected the defensive lineman 28th overall. Now, it seems like J.O. has a legitimate chance of having a starting spot by the time Miami takes the field this fall.

Just like in any sport, one man’s loss is normally another man’s gain. This philosophy might allow Odrick to see the field more than originally thought. This week Phillip Merling, a defensive lineman in front of Odrick on the depth chart, went down with an injury to his Achilles tendon. It is likely that Merling will miss the entire season, which puts Odrick in position to gain valuable experience early in his career.

It will be interesting to see how Odrick handles this opportunity. He certainly has the talent to compete immediately. It seems Miami’s 3-4 defensive scheme will allow Odrick to prosper since it takes similar technique to be successful as he used during his tenure at Penn State.