Though we still think that reports of a looming deal with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long are merely aimed at squeezing someone else to agree to terms with the Miami Dolphins as the No. 1 overall selection in the 2008 draft, we’ve learned that Jake Long and Vernon Gholston are indeed the two guys whom the Fins are targeting with the first pick.

The wild card in the equation, however, is Dolphins V.P. of football operations Bill Parcells.  If he becomes exasperated by efforts to sign Jake Long or Gholston, Parcells could move on to Plan B.

The current conventional wisdom is that Plan B would be Virginia defensive end Chris Long, who was long presumed to be the target of the Fins, but who is behind Jake Long and Gholston on the Dolphins’ draft board. 

Meanwhile, CAA continues to be mired in a hopeless conflict of interest, since the firm represents both Jake Long and Gholston — and since the firm surely does not want either player to take less money than JaMarcus Russell received at No. 1 a year ago, regardless of whether either of both of them would be happy to do so. 

Each player deserves to have a truly independent voice that is representing only that player’s best interests.  At this point, neither does. 

That’s why we firmly believe that, before the draft, players should be able to change agents without a five-day cooling off period.  In this specific case, Jake Long or Gholston desperately need to be represented by a firm other than CAA, if for no reason other than to remove the cloud of potential impropriety that is currently hovering over the entire situation.