With Jake Long Sign, Sealed and Delivered, the Hard Work Begins for the Dolphins

MIAMI _ The day had the look and feel of success with the Dolphins trotting out larger-than-life Jake Long to celebrate the signing of the NFL’s first overall draft pick four days before the annual selection process actually begins.

This living statue of David is Miami’s new cornerstone and he looks the part at 6-foot-7, with muscles seemingly carved from rock, and a will to match. He seems the perfect foundation for the coming Miami rebuilding project so it was fitting that owner Wayne Huizenga, team employees, and agents Tom Condon and Ben Dogra congratulated each other for completing the negotiations.

But there is one small detail that should not be forgotten amid the handshakes and photo opportunities:

Miami’s job is not finished.

“Now we can work on what we are doing at No. 32, what we are doing in regards to any trades,” Miami general manager Jeff Ireland said. “It is certainly an advantage to sign Long early. We don’t have to worry about anything else other than what we are doing from the second pick on.”

The Dolphins are no longer on the clock. But time is running out for them to make other important decisions.

Even with the biggest issue of this draft settled now that Long will be Miami’s starting left tackle, this draft still will present opportunities that come disguised as problems.

What will the Dolphins do with that next pick _ slotted at No. 32, a spot ordinarily considered a first-round selection?

What will the Dolphins do about cha-cha dancing Jason Taylor?

What can Bill Parcells do to make sure the team he is building in Miami unearths a star quarterback just as the team he built in Dallas did when it found Tony Romo?

And will the Dolphins find more players to refurbish the spent defense that was last in the NFL against the run last season?

The answer to those questions will determine the success or failure of Parcells’ first Miami draft as much as whether Jake Long becomes the Pro Bowl player his draft pedigree suggests.

The Dolphins have several scenarios they have privately painted around the handling of their next pick. The most likely is that they will stay at No. 32 and pick the highest player on their draft board.

But they also have actually thought about trading back into the first round _ a thought that seems odd for a team hoping to add, not subtract draft picks.

“I think it is something that will be explored,” Ireland said. “I think it will depend if the right player is there whether we move back up in there and go after the player, obviously.”

It seems natural for the Dolphins to use their next selection to address a pressing need, just as their first selection addressed a pressing need.

And for a team with multiple pressing needs, that presents an open field of possibilities.

The Dolphins still need to fill out the remainder of their offensive line with the left-guard spot manned by nobody today, just as the left-tackle spot was manned by no one yesterday.

The team needs a play-making 3-4 linebacker and a play-making tight end. The Dolphins don’t have a shutdown cornerback. The receiver corps is thin. The perennial quarterback issue looms.

And there is no depth at any position other than perhaps safety.

That is why players such as Auburn linebacker Quentin Groves, Notre Dame tight end John Carlson, Michigan State receiver Devin Thomas, and linebackers Dan Connor, Tavares Gooden and Curtis Lofton beg attention.

The Dolphins are on record as saying their best player and only link to Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt _ Taylor _ will remain with the team in 2008. Parcells made it very clear last month that the only way Taylor would not play in Miami is if he retired.

Taylor has recently communicated to several inquisitive teammates, telling them he’s not retiring in 2008 but isn’t so certain about 2009. But that doesn’t guarantee he’ll play in a Dolphins uniform in 2008.

The Dolphins have fielded calls about their extraordinary pass rusher and the feeling here is Parcells might relent on his promise to not trade Taylor if someone offers a pick anywhere from No. 26 to No. 47 or so.

A trade such as that would give the Dolphins four players among the top 57 selected in the draft. A trade such as that would give this draft boon potential. A trade such as that demands much massaging.

So, yes, there is definitely much work yet to do.

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(c) 2008, The Miami Herald.

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