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James' Football Blog

By James Alder, About.com Guide to Football since 2000

Phins Make Jake Long This Year's No. 1

Tuesday April 22, 2008
According to numerous media reports, the Miami Dolphins have agreed to a contract with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, making him the No. 1 selection in this year's NFL Draft. Adam Schefter of NFL Network reports the deal is for five-years and worth $57.5 million with $30 million guaranteed, which is a bit of a coup for incoming Executive Vice President of Football Operations Bill Parcells considering last year's No. 1 pick, JaMarcus Russell, received more guaranteed money.

With Long already in the fold, the Dolphins don't have to worry about an extended holdout by their top pick, such as the one that kept Russell out of the Oakland Raiders' training camp and behind the learning curve last year. They've also gone a long way toward solidifying their offensive line, which was a disaster in 2007.

Although Long appears to be better suited for the right side, in my humble opinion, the Dolphins insist at this time that he will play left tackle and Vernon Carey will be moved to the right side. Justin Smiley, who signed as a free agent from San Francisco is expected to start at right guard and Samson Satele will return at center. That leaves just the left guard position to address, which the Dolphins may do in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft.

The signing also means the St. Louis Rams, who hold the No. 2 pick, will most likely look in a direction other than offensive tackle when they make their selection on draft day. Our best guess is that they will target a defensive lineman in either tackle Glenn Dorsey out of LSU or Virginia defensive end Chris Long, son of Hall of Famer Howie Long.

Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images

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