2008 Woodie Awards
Countless Options For Dolphins At No. 1
NFL Draft
Mike Mauro
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Sports
With the NFL Draft set to kick off next Saturday at 3 p.m., the team with the No. 1 overall pick - the Miami Dolphins - is looking to finalize a deal with the top player to be selected before then.
It is not unusual for teams to negotiate with one or several players before draft day in order to avoid a contract dispute or holdout that may occur when dealing with the huge deals given to the top player taken.
The Bengals with Carson Palmer and the Texans with Mario Williams are recent examples of teams finalizing deals before they were on the clock. Compare that to last year's draft, when the Raiders did not get a deal done with JaMarcus Russell and he ended up holding out for a while. He missed valuable time learning the playbook and practicing against NFL talent that set him back almost a year in experience.
Now the question the Dolphins need to ask and assure themselves of is who they really want with the first pick. Unlike the Bengals, who were in dire need of a franchise quarterback, or the Texans, who seemed dead set on taking Williams over Reggie Bush - which now looks to be a great decision - the Dolphins don't have one glaring need that can be obviously addressed by taking one player.
Miami has many holes to fill and ideally would love to trade down and acquire picks, but these days nobody wants the financial burden of having to shell out the money for a No. 1 pick contract.
That said, it looks like the Dolphins will be forced to stay put and if that's the case, Bill Parcells will look to use the leverage of negotiating with several players at the top in order to lower the others asking prices.
Miami opened negotiations with Michigan tackle Jake Long for the No. 1 slot over the last week and he seems to be the current front-runner to be picked at No. 1 this time. Long fills a need, solidifying the offensive line for Miami while also bringing strong character into the fold. Parcells loves to have a massive, nasty offensive line on his teams, but doesn't like selecting offensive linemen that high in the draft. This year it doesn't seem like he'll have a choice.
It is not unusual for teams to negotiate with one or several players before draft day in order to avoid a contract dispute or holdout that may occur when dealing with the huge deals given to the top player taken.
The Bengals with Carson Palmer and the Texans with Mario Williams are recent examples of teams finalizing deals before they were on the clock. Compare that to last year's draft, when the Raiders did not get a deal done with JaMarcus Russell and he ended up holding out for a while. He missed valuable time learning the playbook and practicing against NFL talent that set him back almost a year in experience.
Now the question the Dolphins need to ask and assure themselves of is who they really want with the first pick. Unlike the Bengals, who were in dire need of a franchise quarterback, or the Texans, who seemed dead set on taking Williams over Reggie Bush - which now looks to be a great decision - the Dolphins don't have one glaring need that can be obviously addressed by taking one player.
Miami has many holes to fill and ideally would love to trade down and acquire picks, but these days nobody wants the financial burden of having to shell out the money for a No. 1 pick contract.
That said, it looks like the Dolphins will be forced to stay put and if that's the case, Bill Parcells will look to use the leverage of negotiating with several players at the top in order to lower the others asking prices.
Miami opened negotiations with Michigan tackle Jake Long for the No. 1 slot over the last week and he seems to be the current front-runner to be picked at No. 1 this time. Long fills a need, solidifying the offensive line for Miami while also bringing strong character into the fold. Parcells loves to have a massive, nasty offensive line on his teams, but doesn't like selecting offensive linemen that high in the draft. This year it doesn't seem like he'll have a choice.
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