NFL Draft: Ranking the last 20 No. 1 overall draft picks

No. 18 – Jake Long, Offensive Tackle, Miami Dolphins, 2008 NFL Draft

Well before the night of the 2008 NFL Draft, it was known that Jake Long was going to be the pick and it seemed as though the Dolphins had found their left tackle for the foreseeable future. As it turned out, Long only played five seasons in Miami before moving on to other teams, which included the Rams, Falcons, and Vikings.

During his tenure with the Dolphins, Long played all 16 games in his first three seasons, being the only three times he did so during his nine-year career. He was also voted to the Pro Bowl each of his first four seasons while also being a First-Team All-Pro in 2010. However, once injuries began to set in, Long’s career took a quick and sharp turn for the worst, playing in just 15 games from 2014-2016 while starting just 10 of those.

The salt in the wound for Long’s short time in Miami was who the Dolphins passed on to take him.

Both Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco were available in the 2008 NFL Draft, but the Dolphins thought they were good to go at Quarterback with Chad Pennington under center. Pennington played well in 2008, starting all 16 games, but injuries plagued him as well, seeing the field just four times over his final two seasons while the team turned to Chad Henne.

Meanwhile, both Ryan and Flacco are still in the league 12 years later with both having played in a Super Bowl and Flacco winning his big game.