Dolphins Sign Jake Long, Michigan Grad is No.1 Pick in NFL Draft

by Maize n Brew Dave on Apr 23, 2008 9:42 AM CDT in Michigan Football

Looks like the Dolphins took my advice.

The Number 1 Pick in Saturday's draft is now guaranteed to be Michigan's former left tackle, Jake Long. Long and his agent reached a deal on Monday night/Tuesday afternoon worth $57.75 million over five years, with $30 million guaranteed. What it means is next time you see Jake at Scorekeepers, make sure he's buying. Long becomes Michigan's first Number 1 draft pick since Da' Bears took Tom Harmon first overall in 1941.

Apparently Dolphin's GM Bill Parcels has something of a soft spot for Michigan linemen. The Free Press is reporting Parcel's experience with former Wolverine Jumbo Elliot, along with extensive conversations with Lloyd Carr, were factors in taking long No. 1. The rest of the Dolphin's organization was singing Jake's praises too.

"Jake was our guy from the beginning," said Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland, who reached the terms on Monday night and finalized the details Tuesday morning. "I don't make it a habit of telling you what's on our (draft) board, but Jake Long has been on the top of our board for a long time. In regard to debate, there wasn't a whole lot of debate. We all felt comfortable with the player and we think he's the best tackle in the draft. There's no secret that left tackle is a pivotal part of your building process and it's the most important part of the offensive line."

Long's former teammates, particularly Mike Hart, were happy for him, though they think his taste in clothing and automobiles might be a tad midwestern for Calle Ocho.

"If you want to talk about a sure thing, it's Jake Long," Hart said. "No quarterback (in this draft) is a guarantee with the top pick. The smartest pick, the best pick, and safest pick is Jake Long. He's someone who's not going to get in trouble. He's someone who everyone is going to like. He's not going to come in and be a (jerk).

"He's the perfect pick. A lot of guys would go buy a lot of cars and crazy jewelry, but he's probably going to show up in Miami driving his white S-10 truck. I saw him last Friday at a draft party, and I said, 'Jake, you're going to have a bunch of money to go buy whatever you want,' but he still wears the same jeans, same shirts, same everything. Jake is going to be Jake. He's a guy who plays football and acts like he doesn't have any money."

Continuing coverage of Long's career can be found at SB Nation's outstanding Miami Dolphins blog, The Phinsider. In fact, if you head over there now, Matty's got a pile o' quotes from Long's press conference.

Jake, congrats from Maize n Brew, you deserve it.

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