Decent Draft for Dolphins

The early rounds of the Draft went just as scripted for the Miami Dolphins. In Jake Long they get a big guy who can run block and anchor the offensive line. Unfortunately all that talk about looking for the best contract was just talk as Long signed a pricey deal for only five years instead of the usual six.

Merling was a steal in the second round and if his repaired hernia hold up he should be a solid contributor.

Miami was able to take Chad Henne right where they wanted to, with their second pick in the second round rather than their first pick in the round. Some people say Henne was a steal that low in the draft while Mel Kiper over at ESPN criticized the move, not having much praise for Henne.

The Dolphins picked up a few big and tough running backs who fit Parcells’ style of player - large guys who can run between the tackles.

The rest of the picks weren’t all that noteworthy but what struck me was the lack of a wide receiver and defensive back, two positions where help is needed. We’ll have to see if Ireland and Parcells can find some undrafted free agents they like to fill those spots or can work out a trade.

The Jason Taylor situation is deteriorating rapidly. Miami was unable to convince anyone to give them a first round pick for the veteran defensive end and rumors have been floating around about mounting tensions between Taylor and Parcells. Miami should get on the phone and take whatever they can get for the aging veteran. While I’ve been a fan of Taylor’s for a long time, he lost a lot of respect in my eyes by dodging out of training to be on dancing with the stars and dropping hints about wanting out. It’s sad to see a once great team player turn into a less-obnoxious Chad Johnson.

Jake Long Signs With Dolphins

ESPN is announcing today that Jake Long has signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins and will be chosen with the first overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Jake definitely fills a need for Miami although they may have preferred signing a player lower in the draft for less money. The final sum was less than last year’s number one pick, Jamarcus Russel received.

So much for Jeff Ireland’s “defensive pillar”.

The Rams will probably take Chris Long with the second pick and I doubt anyone will be interested in trading up to the number 2 spot.

2008 NFL Draft Thoughts

This is an interesting draft coming up. There is no consensus top talent, and the top pick in the draft belongs to the wiley Bill Parcells.

Mock drafts are tough this year because so much hinges on what happens with the first few spots, and specifically the first pick overall, that predicting the rest of the first round is dicey.

It’s not outside the realm of possibility that a last minute deal could be made for the Dolphins to deal the first pick, or more likely, another top five team dealing their pick to trade down to someone like the Eagles.

Here’s a look at the first few picks, with predictions:

1. Miami Dolphins: Jake Long

The offensive line needs the most help of any position on the Dolphins roster. Jake Long is an excellent right tackle and run blocker. Some day he isn’t up to the challenge of left tackle and that his pass blocking skills need work. Bill Parcells wants to run the ball, and Jake can help him do it.

The matter isn’t so clear cut, however. The Dolphins want to pay the number one pick less than Russel got last year, and Jake Long’s agent reportedly wants more. There have also been rumors that Jake didn’t want to move to Miami and would prefer to play elsewhere. This sounds a little hard to swallow as there are a lot worse places to play and worse guys to play for. If this is true, and Long’s agent is playing hardball, Bill Parcellls likely wouldn’t waste time on the guy. Rumors today have also been circulating that Jake and the Dolphins are finally close to signing a deal, but pundits over at Pro Football Talk are suggesting the stories are a ruse started by Parcells.

I personally like Chris Long as the best fit for the team and the king of guy you can build around. The problem with this is Jason Taylor. Chris Long would likely play DE/OLB in a 3-4 scheme and would be somewhat redundant with Taylor, whose future in Miami is questionable. In a recent interview, Dolphins GM Jeff Ireland said the team is looking for a “defensive pillar” to build the team around. This was said while the team was negotiating with Jake Long. Was this an honest slip up, a sign of things to come or a deliberate attempt at misdirection? We’ll find out on Saturday.

The last name to consider at this spot is Vernon Gholston, who would fill a similar role as Chris Long. Gholston is a top talent, and is flexible enough to play where needed. He also might be able to be had for less than Jake or Chris.

I don’t see any chance of the Phins taking Matt Ryan. Miami seems to be high on Michigan QB Chad Henne, and think he’s just as good as Ryan. Parcells also seems to have faith in John Beck.

2.  St. Louis Rams: Chris Long

If Miami passes on Jake Long, many think the Rams will take him, otherwise it comes down to Chris Long and Vernon Gholston, with the pick going to Chris. There was talk that Jake Long’s agent was using the Rams as leverage with Miami, saying that the Rams are willing to pay his client the big bucks if Miami didn’t pony up.

The Rams are looking to play a 3-4 defense and there are some doubts whether or not DT Glen Dorsey is up for the challenge.

I think the Rams are going to take whichever of the Longs are left on the board, or take Jake if both are available. I’m not buying into the rumors that the Rams have Darren McFadden at the top of their board.

This is a good time to talk about overall draft trends. Depending on who goes early, we may see a run on certain positions. If the Dolphins chose Vernon Gholston and the Rams pick Chris Long, then other teams might feel more pressure to pick a defensive end up sooner rather than risk getting shut out later. Guys like Derrick Harvey could move up significantly. Likewise if OTs Jake Long and Ryan Clady both go high.

When it comes to Quarterbacks, Matt Ryan will likely go fairly high, but exactly where he lands could have a big impact on the rest of the crop. If Ryan went first, Brian Brohm’s stock would improve greatly. If Ryan drops down a bit, Brohm might not go until the second round. OK, back to the action.

3. Atlanta Falcons: Matt Ryan

This is a tough pick. I think after having been burned by Michael Vick, the Falcons are looking for a franchise quarterback that can be a team leader. Ryan can be a big play guy and can be a leader in the huddle. He’s proved himself in clutch games at the end of his career in Boston College. His interceptions are a bit troubling and many question if he really is worth a top 5 pick. The problem is there aren’t that many good QBs available this year and while Ryan might not be the next Dan Marino, he’s the best that’s available right now.

If the Falcons didn’t go with Ryan, the pick would likely go to Glen Dorsey or possibly one of the Longs if available.

4. Oakland Raiders: Darren McFadden

The smart pick for Oakland is to pick the best available defensive end, and that’s a definite possibility. The bottom line is that Al Davis is making the pick, and he just can’t say no to the exciting McFadden.

If Oakland does pass on Darren, we might see another team try to trade up to grab him as soon as possible.

5. Kansas City Chiefs: Ryan Clady

The Chiefs would love to see Jake Long fall into their laps, but the odds are against it. The smart move for KC is to get the best OT they can find and the Boise State star is the best available. The Chiefs need to get some protection for Brodie Croyle and would be best served picking up Clady. At this point in the draft however, Clady won’t be the best available overall talent and it might be too early to pick him. Glenn Dorsey is going to make a very tempting target if a team is willing to take the risk with his injury history. Also, if Matt Ryan falls the Chiefs could give him a look, but I think it’s unlikely.

6. NY Jets: Vernon Gholston

This is another tough one to call. The Jets are hoping Oakland makes a wise choice and goes with a DE, letting McFadden fall. If Darren is available, the Jets will undoubtedly take him. If McFadden goes to Oakland, the Jets will likely start working the phone to arrange to trade down. If they can’t find a suitable offer, the safest bet is to take the best available and in this case it’s Gholston. Despite signing Calvin Pace earlier, the Jets could benefit from having a guy like Vernon on the team to get at opposing quarterbacks.

7. New England Patriots: Leodis McKelvin

The CB from Troy will help the Pats fill in holes created by the departure of Asante Samuel and Randall Gay. I’ve seen a lot of other theories for the Pats at this spot, including picking up a guard or trading the pick, but to me a quality CB is a priority right now that makes the most sense for New England to address.

8. Baltimore Ravens: Glenn Dorsey

The Ravens are desperately hoping that Matt Ryan drops down to this spot. If he does, it’s a done deal. The Ravens would also like Leodis McKelvin, and he could very well be available. If Ryan is off the table the other choice left is Dorsey. Atlanta takes Dorsey early, Matt Ryan will be the Ravens next starting QB, but I like Atlanta picking up a QB and Dorsey dropping a bit. The Ravens will be entertaining offers for the pick if Ryan can’t be had.

9. Cincinnati Bengals: Sedrick Ellis

The Bengals need help stopping the run and plugging up the center. Odds are that Dorsey will be gone, and Sedrick Ellis is a top notch player that will be a big boost the the Bengals’ D-line.

10. New Orleans Saints: Mike Jenkins

If NO can’t get their hands on Dorsey or Ellis, they’ll look at one of the available cornerbacks, with South Florida’s Mike Jenkins being the one who gets the nod. Dominique Rogers-Cromartie will also get consideration here.

So there’s a quick run down of the top 10 picks and how I see them going down. There are a lot of ways this Saturday’s action could go down and it will be interesting to watch.

Rumors Abound

There have been rumors that Jake Long doesn’t want to play for Miami, that he doesn’t want to live in Miami, and that he wants more money than Miami is offering and believes he can get it from the St. Louis Rams if Miami doesn’t pay up.

There are more rumors that Jason Taylor wants to be traded out of Miami and will likely retire if a deal can’t be worked out.

Jeff Ireland is looking for a pillar of his teams defense in the draft, which makes it sound like Jake Long’s prospects with Miami are limited. Look for Chris Long or Vernon Gholston to be chosen number one, providing more impetus to let Jason Taylor go.

Miami continues to look favorably on Chad Henne, and hasn’t given Joe Flacco the barest glimpse. The Dolphins also haven’t had Brian Brohm in for a workout despite earlier reports that they would. I’m thinking that Parcells may try to grab Henne with the Dolphins’ second pick in the second round rather than the first. If Matt Ryan falls far enough and Brohm doesn’t go until the second round, there may be a good chance of getting Henne with Miami’s third pick. If QBs start going early, they may need to act at the top of the second round to grab Chad. Still, a lot of teams like Brohm and Flacco more than Henne, and Miami might be able to put off grabbing him for a while.

There have also been rumors that Miami is looking at signing Chris Simms if he gets released by the Bucs but I don’t see this happening. I think Parcells wants to bring in a young guy out of the draft.

The draft is less than a week away and I expect things to be quiet right up until the Dolphins go on the clock. I predict Ireland and Parcells will try to do some last minute wheeling and dealing, but will be ready to take Chris Long if other teams aren’t willing to deal. After the first pick, I expect to see three or four other teams trying to make deals to move up or down in a hurry. I think the first round will have streaks of one or two positions and if a team needs a certain position filled early, they’ll have to try to make a move up or else risk getting shut out.

The suspense is killing me.

Jake Long Turns Down Dolphins?

Reports had come out that Miami was trying to negotiate a contract with Michigan OT Jake Long, a top 5 talent, although not regarded as the best overall player in the draft. Miami’s theory is that they would like to sign the best player to the best contract. If Jake Long doesn’t agree to a favorable deal, the Dolphins will talk Vernon Gholston and others. Gholston is slipping in the eyes of some and would be smart to take whatever he can get to go number one. I’m not sure why the latest buzz has the Dolphins not so interested in Chris Long, unless they feel they are solid at that position with Jason Taylor (when he finishes his Dancing With the Stars run).

John Czarnecki of Fox Sports and the guys at Pro Footaball Talk are reporting that Jake Long doesn’t want to play for the Dolphins. The only reason his agents are still talking to the Dolphins is that he feels it would be a “special honor” to go first.

I don’t see these negotiations lasting much longer at this point. Bill Parcells is a no nonsense sort of guy and letting people know you don’t want to play for the Dolphins qualifies as nonsense. Parcells will put together a playoff team soon.

Jake Long is showing is character, or more specifically, his complete and utter lack of character. He is demonstrating tendencies to be greedy, self-centered and not interested in the team. Long will turn out to be the Chad Johnson of offensive tackles, but with less talent.

Jake will play hardball, the Dolphins will say so long, and some other team with less of a future like the Rams will sign him, go through a painful process of negotiating a contract with a possible holdout and his career will take that much longer to take off.

Players who are too wrapped up in themselves, where they want to be and the money they want to make have a tendency to flop.

If the rumors are true, good luck Jake, you’ll need it.

Could Rams Swap Picks With Miami?

The Miami Dolphins have been negotiating a contract with offensive tackle Jake Long, whom the St. Louis Rams have had their eye on. Rumor has it that the Rams are re-thinking their second overall pick, having previously assumed Miami would take Chris Long. It’s not completely outside the realm of possibility that the Dolphins and Rams could swap picks, giving St. Louis the opportunity to take Jake Long and leaving Miami to pick up Chris Long or Vernon Gholston. It wouldn’t take too much added incentive to get the Dolphins to swap, most likely a second day pick.

Note: The idea of such a swap is pure speculation on my part

Dolphins Negotiating with Jake Long

The Miami Herald is reporting that the Dolphins are negotiating with the agent for Jake Long, working out the details of a contract if the offensive tackle is taken with the number one overall pick.

Chris Mortenson confirmed the story on Sportscenter.

The idea for the Dolphins is to get the best deal they can with the first pick, and to have the business taken care of before draft day. If the deal with Jake Long doesn’t look to be too favorable for the Dolphins, they can turn their attention to Chris Long or Vernon Gholston or a dark horse. Whoever agrees to the best deal will be the one chosen first.

If the Dolphins are successful negotiating with Jake, it suggests that Parcells meant what he said about not trading Jason Taylor.  If Chris Long was the top pick, then Taylor’s status would be more uncertain.

There has been no mention of Dolphin interest in Matt Ryan and Mortenson believes Ryan is not on their draft board.

Sportscenter host Chris McKendry had a small slip up responding to Mort’s analysis of the Dolphins negotiations by saying that “It looks like they will be sticking with Beck”. I don’t think this is a correct assumption at all. The Dolphins will draft a QB on the first day, and there will be a competition for the starting job.

Draft Day Inches Closer

There hasn’t been much in the way of interesting news regarding the Dolphins.

Jason Taylor is still with the team despite rumors that Jacksonville is interested in trading for him. Apparently the Jaguars are looking to give up a 3rd round pick but Miami is looking for at least a second round pick. JT still has a few all-star seasons left in him and I don’t think there is any particular reason Parcells and company need to get rid of him any time soon. I don’t see this deal ultimately working out.

No real news on the draft front. One source reported that the Dolphins draft board is already set, which makes you wonder why they are still inviting players for private workouts.

No one seems to be overly eager to trade up into the first pick, but it’s not impossible that a last second deal could be done.

I think the Dolphins have Chris Long, Jake Long and Matt Ryan penciled in as their top three guys in order. Miami will contact their agents before the draft and try to negotiate a contract. Whichever player manage to agree on the contract Miami likes best will be the player chosen. My suspicion is that Dolphins would like to sign Chris Long the most out of the three, but if things don’t work out, they’d gladly take Jake.

Quite a few mock drafts have Brian Brohm falling to the second round. There isn’t a clear cut second best quarterback in the draft at this point, but many think Brohm is the best of the rest. If Miami doesn’t take Ryan, they almost assuredly will take a QB in the second round. If Brohm is available by the time their second pick rolls around, Miami might pick him up. The team seems most focused on Chad Henne, who apparently has a lot of intangibles that have been impressing scouts lately.

Dolphins Could Pass On the First Pick

I read an interesting scenario floating around the internet lately. The NFL has crazy guidelines that dictate how much the top picks in the draft are guaranteed to receive. A number one pick oftentimes can hurt a team more than help due to the large salary that gets tied up in the player.

Apparently, when the time allotted for a team to announce its pick in the draft expires, the next team in order gets to pick. The original team who passed can submit their pick at any time thereafter.

Theoretically, Miami could let the clock expire, wait for the next two or three teams make their picks and then pop in a pick at number four or five or even later. They would save a significant amount of money by doing this, and the chances are that at least one of the players they are interested in would still be available.

If this did happen, there is nothing to prevent the team after them from doing the same thing, and the next and so on. Subsequent teams could also submit their picks as quickly as possible in order to keep jumping ahead of Miami (or whatever teams have passed).

It certainly would cause quite a stir, but hopefully in the end the result would be beneficial. Miami (or any team at the top) would be better served by taking a player a few spots down at significantly reduced cost. The league would hopefully revisit the current system and make changes to prevent this from happening in the future.

The NFL players association would of course be strongly opposed to this, as they like the idea of players getting gobs of guaranteed money regardless of what it does for individual teams or the sport. I don’t think worry over NFLPA response should play a role in any thought Parcells may be giving the idea, because it’s looking like we’re heading for a big showdown and possible strike anyway.

In the end, I don’t think there is even a slim chance of this happening, but it makes for interesting discussion.

Dolphins Scouting Brohm, Chris Long

The Miami Herald is reporting that several Dolphins coaches including Tony Sporano and Paul Pasqualoni as well as GM Jeff Ireland have met with Virginia defensive end Chris Long.

The Herald also reports that Jake Long will be visited soon. The Dolphins have already checked out BC QB Matt Ryan and Michigan QB Chad Henne. There have been inquiries about scheduling a visit with Louisville QB Brian Brohm.

Other than the Senior Bowl and the NFL combine, the Phins haven’t scouted Joe Flacco. Also Darren McFadden seems to remain off the Dolphins’ radar.

All this doesn’t really tell you too much. If Miami keeps the first overall pick, Chris Long, Jake Long and Matt Ryan are the three most likely to be taken by Miami. The scouting of other quarterbacks suggests that Miami will take a QB later on, possibly in the second round. Brohm might still be available then depending on how far Matt Ryan falls, and Henne and Flacco will likely be there.