If Parcells stays put at No. 1, Virginia DE Chris Long, the son of Hall of Famer Howie Long, is likely to be his pick unless Parcells determines before the April 26 draft that quarterback John Beck, the second-round pick of the previous regime, has no chance to be a player. Then he would take Ryan. Veteran Josh McCown, recently signed as a free agent, is a classic Parcells hold-the-fort guy.
Parcells left the impression he would love to trade down a few times and turn that one pick into five of the 25 to 30 new players he anticipates being on the 1-15 team he is trying to resurrect. And that would prevent Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga and his new partner Stephen Ross from signing off on the $30 million guaranteed that will go to the No. 1 pick. That makes it much harder to deal out of the spot than 10 years ago.