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Last Time Bill Parcells Had the First Pick in the Draft, He Traded Down

Now that Bill Parcells is in charge of the Miami Dolphins, everyone wants to know who's staying and who's going.

But there may be an even more important question: Who's coming? The Dolphins will have the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, and Parcells will have final say over who they take. Will he go with a quarterback, signaling that he has no faith in John Beck? Or Darren McFadden, generally considered the best player available? Or Glenn Dorsey, who looks like a good fit in the 3-4 defense Parcells prefers?

Consider this: Parcells has controlled the top pick in the draft once twice before. In 1997, he took over the Jets, and that year, he traded down with the Rams, who gave up four picks to take Orlando Pace first overall. That trade (a trade Parcells almost certainly wouldn't have made if Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning had left school and entered the 1997 draft) actually worked out better for the Rams than it did for the Jets.

My guess is that Parcells would love to trade down again, but that he'll have a harder time finding takers than he did in 1997. Teams are increasingly reluctant to trade up to the top of the draft because of the enormous salaries those players get. And even if Parcells can find suitors who love McFadden, Dorsey or one of the quarterbacks so much that they will trade up, he won't get as much as he got when the Rams wanted Pace.

UPDATE: As commenter Todd notes, Parcells also had the No. 1 pick his first year with the Patriots, when he chose Drew Bledsoe.

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