Jake Long, the 6′7″, 313-pound offensive line behemoth and No. 1 overall pick in the most recent NFL draft, is jacked up and rarin’ to go for his new team, the Miami Dolphins. That’s the same Miami Dolphins team that finished last season with a woeful 1-15 record. However, hope springs eternal each September in the relative parity of the NFL, even for the lowly Dolphins.
The 23-year-old Lapeer, Michigan native is the mammoth cornerstone of a Miami revival effort led by new executive vice president Bill Parcells and new head coach Tony Sparano. Parcells opened up the company pocketbook for Long’s monster contract—a five-year, $57.75-million deal with $30 million reportedly guaranteed. Those figures would make Long the highest paid lineman in the NFL—and he’s yet to play in one regular season game.
Long didn’t celebrate his new-found wealth and status by heading to the nearest Ferrari dealership—for one thing, he probably couldn’t fit inside most supercars. Instead, he simply traded in his old ’99 Dodge Ram for a new Ford truck. It’s no surprise that before the 2008 draft, Long’s former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr unequivocally told Parcells that Long was “[Parcells’] type of player.”
The former left tackle for the Wolverines was a two-time team captain and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year his last two seasons. In April, Parcells made Long only the second offensive lineman to go No. 1 overall since 1970. If Long performs near the level of that other No. 1 pick, former Ohio State tackle Orlando Pace (who went on to seven straight Pro Bowl appearances), Long will have earned his stratospheric salary and signing bonus—and then some.
Long is very laid-back off the field, spending his time outdoors hunting rather than glued to video games like many of his Xbox and PS3-obsessed NFL colleagues. On the field, however, Long is all business—nasty business. Before the draft, SI.com said of Long that he “looks to annihilate opponents.” Long ran a 5.1 40 at the NFL scouting combine and ripped off 37 bench-press reps at 225 pounds, most of any lineman.
Playboy.com tracked down the Dolphins’ left tackle before the regular season to talk about Bill Parcells, burying the opposition on the field and those Big Ten girls.
