Dolphins Sign Long, Make Him Top Pick in NFL Draft
4/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dolphins Story | NFL Video
Michigan's 2008 NFL Draft Page
MIAMI, Fla. -- University of Michigan two-time consensus All-America left tackle Jake Long(Lapeer, Mich./Lapeer East HS) signed a multi-year contract with the Miami Dolphins on Tuesday (April 22), making him the top pick in this weekend's 2008 NFL Draft. Long is the Wolverines' second No. 1 overall pick in the draft and the 43rd Michigan player to be drafted in the first round. The Chicago Bears acquired running back Tom Harmon (1938-40) with the opening pick in 1941.
Long is the first offensive lineman selected with the No. 1 pick since the 1997 draft -- Ohio State's Orlando Pace was drafted by the St. Louis Rams -- and is the fifth offensive lineman in league history chosen with the first overall selection. Long becomes the 13th player in Big Ten Conference history to be chosen with the first overall pick in the 73-year history of the NFL selection meetings.
Long will be in attendance at the draft, which will occur Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Long is one of six players invited to the draft, joining Chris Long (Virginia), Matt Ryan (Boston College), Darren McFadden (Arkansas), Glenn Dorsey (Louisiana State) and Vernon Gholston (Ohio State).
One of only 11 Michigan football players to be elected captain twice, Long is rated the top offensive lineman in the player pool according to ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper. The 6-foot-7, 315-pound tackle overpowered all offensive linemen at the NFL's player combine, posting 37 repetitions on the 225-pound bench press to best all of the participants.
The Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy finalist fueled the Wolverine front, paving the way for running back Mike Hart(Syracuse, N.Y./Onondaga Central HS) to record numerous program standards. During the 2008 season, the offense gained more than 1,100 yards directly behind Long, and the back-to-back Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year allowed only one sack throughout the campaign.
The 2008 NFL Draft begins Saturday (April 26) at 3 p.m. The first and second rounds will take place during the opening day, with the remaining rounds occurring on Sunday (April 27). The NFL Network will provide television coverage.
Following are the No. 1 NFL draft picks in Big Ten history:
| 2008 | Jake Long, Michigan | Miami Dolphins |
| 2000 | Courtney Brown, Penn State | Cleveland Browns |
| 1997 | Orlando Pace, Ohio State | St. Louis Rams |
| 1995 | Ki-Jana Carter, Penn State | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1994 | Dan Wilkinson, Ohio State | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1990 | Jeff George, Illinois | Indianapolis Colts |
| 1979 | Tom Cousineau, Ohio State | Buffalo Bills |
| 1967 | Bubba Smith, Michigan State | Baltimore Colts |
| 1966 | Jim Grabowski, Illinois | Miami Dolphins |
| 1959 | Randy Duncan, Iowa | Green Bay Packers |
| 1941 | Tom Harmon, Michigan | Chicago Bears |
| 1938 | Corbett Davis, Indiana | Cleveland Rams |
| 1936 | Jay Berwanger, Chicago | Philadelphia Eagles |
Comments from Former U-M Head Coach Lloyd Carr
On Jake Long being the No. 1 overall pick... "That choice says everything that needs to be said. The pressure that goes with the organization that makes the first choice, I think it's obvious that they want to chose a guy that is a great player and a leader and a guy that can be counted on by the organization, by his teammates and coaches, and by the people in that community to be a great representative of the city, the National Football League and, of course, the organization. I could not be more happy for Jake and his family because he has been everything that anyone could ask of a Michigan football player. He is a great leader, two-time captain and a dominating player at his position. This choice secures his position as one of the great football players in the history of Michigan football, one of the best of the best. It's a wonderful thing to see Jake receive this recognition, and I wish him all the best in Miami."
On the intangibles that Long brings to the organization... "They are getting a guy that not only has great measurables -- he's big, he's strong, he's powerful, he's athletic, he's smart, he's tough, he's competitive -- I mean, Jake is the complete football player and I think he will contribute immediately. He is prepared. Jake takes great pride in the technical parts of the position. He has a great background in terms of his preparation, and he is excited about being a great football player. Jake is passionate about the game, and I don't think there is anything that he lacks."
On the leadership abilities that Long exhibits... "The first thing that a leader has to do is perform his own part. He has to be a guy that is a doer. Sometimes people think that leadership is about talking and ultimately it's really about doing. Jake's teammates could always count on him being a guy that would play hard and be prepared and would make the type of sacrifices that need to be made so that a guy can be prepared. Nobody worked harder than Jake, and nobody cared more about winning than Jake. He wasn't playing for himself, he was playing for Michigan and all he wanted to do was win. I think all of his teammates saw those things -- his drive and passion for the game."
On what he will always remember about Jake Long... "I have so many great memories of Jake. I had the great fortune to coach him for four and a half years and I got to see him in a lot of different situations. I saw him as a young player, as a guy that fought through some difficult injuries, and as the great player that he has developed into. I can remember visiting with him at his high school and every person in that school, from the superintendent on down, came into the hallway to tell me how great a person Jake was. I met Jake as a junior in high school and the whole school came out, the band was there and everyone in the school wanted to tell me what an outstanding individual he was. He played football, basketball, baseball.
"If there is one thing that I will never forget, it was seeing him at 4 a.m. He was burned and had to jump out the window. Jake was on a stretcher outside of the house and he was trying to talk the doctors out of sending him to the hospital because he didn't want to go because he felt that he was okay. Thank God that they insisted that he go because he ended up being there a long time and fought for his life.
"The fact that Jake was everything that you want on and off the field makes him special. As a coach you never had to worry about Jake Long. You knew that he was going to be there and that he was going to be ready to play and that he was going to fight to win. He was selected here on campus to the Order of Angell, which is a leadership society on campus, so he was recognized not only inside Michigan football but also within the university community."
On Bill Parcells and his affinity for Michigan offensive linemen, specifically Jumbo Elliott... "Coach Parcells and I have had several conversations during the last few weeks. I know this: Jake Long is his type of player, and we talked about Jumbo because I was here when Jumbo came to Michigan and was here during his career. I remember going out to fall training camp when Parcells coached the New York Jets and Jumbo was probably 35 years old at the time and he asked Jumbo to get up and sign 'The Victors' in front of his teammates. He is going to love Jake Long just like he loves Jumbo Elliott. I guarantee you when you look at the fact that he used his first pick in the draft, he could have had any other player, the fact is he chose Jake. That says it all."
On the great tradition of Michigan linemen and Jake Long's position in that group... "I don't think there is any doubt this puts Jake in elite company. If you go back and look at the history of the NFL draft and you take all the guys from Michigan that were drafted in the first round and a lot of others that were drafted later and had successful careers, I know that Jake will continue that legacy that we are all so proud of."
Media Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
