According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com, the Miami Dolphins were prepared to begin negotiations with Virginia defensive end Chris Long if they had not reached an agreement with Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long.

The Dolphins announced yesterday that Jake Long was the first pick, but Mortensen, who worked closely with Dolphins vice president of football operations Bill Parcells at ESPN last year, reports that Parcells had set a Tuesday deadline to reach a deal and was ready to move on if Jake Long wouldn’t accept the Dolphins’ contract offer.

Per Mortensen, most of the details of the contract, including length, total value, guaranteed money and payout schedules, were done on Thursday. But there were some sticking points, specifically related to what will happen if there’s a work stoppage. Issues related to potential labor unrest are expected to come up with other top draft picks’ contracts as well.

If those sticking points had prevented Jake Long and his agents from agreeing to a contract with the Dolphins, the team would now be negotiating with Chris Long — or maybe, if he and his agents worried that he would slide, Chris Long would have quickly agreed to a contract. As it is, the Dolphins closed the deal with their top choice.