The NFL Draft is still a few days away and we already know who the first pick will be. The Miami Dolphins have reached agreement with University of Michigan Offensive Tackle Jake Long. Bill Parcells is now heading football operations down in Miami, so this pick shouldn’t surprise too many people. Let’s look at draft history though, how many offensive linemen have been selected number one overall?

1939 - Chicago Cardinals - Ki Aldrich - Texas Christian - Center
1949 - Philadelphia Eagles - Chuck Bednarik - Pennsylvania - Center/Linebacker
1964 - Denver Broncos - Bob Brown - Nebraska - Guard
1968 - Minnesota Vikings - Ron Yary - USC - Tackle
1997 - St. Louis Rams - Orlando Pace - Ohio State - Tackle

Of this list, three of the players (Bednarik, Brown, and Yary) are in the Pro Football Hall-of-Fame. One other, Orlando Pace, is generally accepted to be a future hall of famer when his current career is over. So, Dolphins fans, the practice of taking a lineman with the number one overall pick doesn’t look like it has worked out too badly in the past.

The Bad Luck Of Kelly Holcomb

Kelly Holcomb, although spending most of his career as a second string quarterback, has had a number of shining moments as a starter in the NFL. Playing for the Browns against the Steelers in 2003, Holcomb became just the third player ever in the NFL to throw for over 400 yards in a playoff game. The very next year he would have the best game of his career going 30 of 39 for 412 yards and five touchdowns in a regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Unfortunately, the Browns would lose both games.