In the right position: It's a Long battle

The casual fans might never have heard of them.

They've probably never discussed the careers of a few pass rushers named Andre Wadsworth and arguably even Courtney Brown. Probably never debated the prowess of an offensive lineman named Mike Williams, either.

For the Miami Dolphins, that's a scary, scary thought.

You see, Wadsworth, Brown and Williams all have a few things in common. All three entered the NFL within the past decade. All three were selected in the top four picks of their respective draft classes.

But none of the three are currently starters for any NFL teams.

Now, it's up to vice president of football operations Bill Parcells -- who is likely to draft a player that plays one of those same positions -- to make sure his choice doesn't fall into that same category.

The good news? When picking an offensive lineman or a pass rusher in the top five picks of the draft, it appears that trio of disappointments are actually anomalies. The success stories at those two positions outweigh the nightmares.

Still, there's a decision to be made: Take an offensive lineman (Jake Long) or pick a pass rusher (Chris Long or Vernon Gholston). The safer bet might be in the blocker.

''If [Jake Long] doesn't become a great left tackle, if he's not good enough, he [moves to] right tackle,'' ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said Wednesday. ``There's that fallback plan automatically for a guy like Jake. That's why I think taking an offensive tackle high is a good thing. And it's a safe thing. You know you're getting a nice return on your investment. There's not going to be a major bust at this spot.''

Does that mean Miami should simply pick Jake Long as a result? Of course not. After all, the same year Brown [an offensive lineman] was drafted first overall, the Redskins landed Chris Samuels two choices later.

LINK to rest of story
http://www.miamiherald.com/616/story/498034.html