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In theory, when you have the first pick of the NFL Draft, you want to draft a Hall of Famer ... who wouldn't? But that is only theory and I do not know whose theory it is. In reality what you have with the first pick is three things:
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| How will this equation be finalized? Offensive tackle Jake Long is a good guess. (Getty Images) |
• 2. A great bargaining chip with which to make a trade. However, Miami is facing the same situation I faced two years ago when I was in Houston. The money has become so high that no team wants to trade for the first pick. So having the first pick with today's prices is not an advantage.
• 3. The last advantage of having the first pick is you get to negotiate early.
I believe this is real important because if the player is not signed before the draft, then he is reluctant to sign until he sees other deals coming in. So somehow you need to get the deal done or be close enough and trust the other party to believe him when he says we will get him signed right after the draft.
To negotiate a deal before the draft is a blind shot for both sides, but since there is something to lose for each party, potentially, then each side has a reason the get the deal done. The best way to do this is have two players you are willing to take and negotiate with both of them. When there is no clear cut No. 1 pick, you then have to look at it from the point of view of who is the safest pick -- will he fill a need? You have to consider what position they play.
When you are a rebuilding team like Miami, you have to think long term, and offensive tackles and defensive linemen make sense.
I remember Gil Brandt, former personnel director of the Dallas Cowboys during their first Super Bowl era, telling me when they took Bob Lilly with their first ever draft pick they knew they were not going to win for a while, so they wanted to take someone at a position that would be around for a long time. A very wise bit of wisdom as it turned out; Lilly is in the Hall of Fame. I think the thought process with this year's first pick would go like this: Miami needs an offensive tackle. Jake Long of Michigan is the best offensive tackle in this draft. Most people, including myself, believe you should start playing him at the left offensive tackle position, and if he is not good enough there, you can move him to the right side where I believe he can go to the Pro Bowl at some point in his career.
Is he athletic enough to play left tackle? Yes, he's certainly as athletic as some of the left tackles in the league, and with his size, mass and tenacity, he has a chance to play there. In scouting you always try to compare players from one year to another. I think Joe Thomas (No. 3 overall pick last year) is a better true fit at left tackle than Jake Long but would not be as good a fit as Long at right tackle. If you were giving a grade for a player who could play both tackles, then Jake Long would grade higher.
Two other players who would make interesting comparisons are Flozell Adams of Dallas, and an oldie-but-a-goodie, also from Parcells' past, is Jumbo Elliott, who started at left tackle for Parcells with the Giants. Both Adams and Elliott were not first-round picks, in part because of some athletic concerns. Both proved those concerns wrong and played a long time.
I would like to ask Parcells if he sees any comparison between Long and either Adams or Elliott. But he is not doing any interviews right now. One might say those players were not the first pick in the draft, but reality is they played a very valuable position for a long time in the NFL at a high level, and I am sure Parcells would take either one of them right now. Another part of making the first pick in the draft is eliminating risks. Both Chris Long of Virginia and Vernon Gholston of Ohio State played defensive end in college and would project as an OLB in the Miami defense. Even though I think Chris Long can do it, I believe Gholston would be better served playing defensive end in a 4-3. There is always an element of risk when you are projecting a player from college to the pros let alone projecting them to another position.
As for the other top prospects for Miami to consider:
- Glenn Dorsey of LSU, in my opinion, does not have the size and bulk for a defensive lineman in Miami's defense.
- At running back (Ronnie Brown) and quarterback (John Beck), the Dolphins have young prospects, and even though Darren McFadden (RB) of Arkansas and Matt Ryan (Boston College) are better prospects, Miami at least has some players to line up and work with at those positions.
