Dolphins smart to take Long, now what?

Jake Long is far from a flashy player and may not be the total package at left tackle that Joe Thomas was in the 2007 draft, but he is the smartest choice for the Miami Dolphins. I've listened to a lot of analysts talk about Long's relative lack of skill as a pass rusher, but he will give Miami the cornerstone to a rebuilding effort.

As discussed on "The Herd" with Colin Cowherd left tackle is one of the important positions that has to be successful in order to build a great team (others mentioned were quarterback, corner, defensive end). In my rating, I had Long as the No. 7 overall player but the No. 1 overall pick in my projection due to Miami's inability to solidify the offensive line. The team didn't need to take Matt Ryan as they invested in John Beck a year ago and while the defense is aging, it is not the most glaring issue for the team. While I'm not a Parcells fan, the drafting of Long makes sense as he was never a threat to be a holdout for pay and will be a leader in the locker room early in his career. Being flashy sells jerseys, it doesn't rebuild franchises.

The next question is what St. Louis should do with the 2nd overall pick. While there are teams looking to move up, and St. Louis may consider moving down, history shows that there are rarely trades into the top 5 overall picks and we can expect to see the Rams make a selection. The team needs to go defensive line and while Glenn Dorsey is the man to choose according to Mel Kiper Jr. (why do we still listen to someone who claimed Mike Williams as the best player in the 2005 draft class?) I look at Vernon Gholston as the best fit for the team. Gholston is level headed and improved his numbers for his senior season, unlike Dorsey who struggled with injury and consistency, and ultimately is a tackle while the Rams need more help at defensive end. Gholston is also a sack machine for a team that struggled with only 31 in 2007.

With the draft looming I can't help but wonder, what keeps Mel Kiper Jr.'s hair in place? Even Pat Riley is jealous of that gel-job.