Dolphins Get More Picks

Thanks to one of countless NFL rules addressing parity, the Dolphins will receive two extra compensatory picks this year, one in the 6th round and another in the 7th. According to Armando Salguero, the picks are 204th overall and 245th overall.

Not a huge deal when you look at overall numbers regarding players from late in the draft and their success at the next level, but you have to take anything you can get. The Super Bowl Champs made good use of their late picks, turning them into Kevin Boss, Michael Johnson and Ahmad Bradshaw. Lately, we haven't been doing anything with those picks. Granted, we haven't done much with any of our picks of late.

Salguero also reports that the Dolphins already know who it is they'll be drafting with the #1 pick assuming they can't trade down. I'm going to take that as a sign that Miami has a clear choice, because otherwise they would still be deliberating. It should be interesting to see how they negotiate deals with the potential prospects, because if you tell that player's agent that he is the guy you want, then you've lost all your leverage.

My guess is that Chris Long is the pick. He is a safe choice and has ties to Bill Parcells through Al Groh. The front office likes John Beck (though don't discount the possibility of drafting a QB in the middle rounds) and investing in an upside guy like Vernon Gholston is risky. Jake Long would be nice but supposedly this is one of the deepest OL drafts in years, so it might not be the smartest choice to take him early.