Dolphins shaping the draft order as I speak

In an effort to acquire the cheapest and best talent with the No. 1 overall pick, the Miami Dolphins appear to be close signing Michigan left tackle Jake Long.

For their sake, they better hope he ends up like Orlando Pace and not Tony Mandarich.

The Dolphins, who've struggled to find an adequate left tackle since Richmond Webb's retirement, have failed to do so, as former first round pick Vernon Carey hasn't played up to expectations. The move makes sense for the Dolphins, but is it really worth using the very first pick of the draft on a left tackle? There's evidence where you can argue for or against the Dolphins' decision, but what we do know is the draft's order will be shaken up once the Dolphins ink Long.

The only other teams with big gaps at left tackle within the top-10 of the draft are Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City and Baltimore (depending on whether Jonathan Ogden retires, of course). Long won't fall beyond 10, so one of these teams would snag the former Wolverine without hesitation if the Dolphins don't end up getting a deal worked out.

Now, the Rams will have to think whether they want to go the defensive tackle route with Sedrick Ellis or Glenn Dorsey or get better on the bookend with Vernon Gholston or Chris Long. Either way, the Rams won't let any of these defensive linemen slip by. The same goes for the Falcons. With Long off the board, the Raiders will probably look to go defensive line or Darren McFadden, while the Chiefs will most likely pick the second-highest rated offensive line prospect left, being that Kansas City owns one of the worst O-Lines in the NFL.

In othe words, whatever the Rams, Falcons and Raiders pick, those decisions will dictate the pace of the entire draft.