No motor appears more admired among this draft class than Chris Long's. With uncertainty swirling over whether the Miami Dolphins will use the top pick on Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, as well as concerns about defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey's 2006 stress fracture, the University of Virginia defensive end and son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long is casting a long shadow over this draft.

The buzz at the combine is that Long may be the safest pick. From a defensive standpoint, he would seem an ideal fit for the new Dolphins front office team of executive vice president of football operations Bill Parcells, general manager Jeff Ireland, coach Tony Sparano and the 3-4 defense they will employ.

Long's coach at Virginia, Al Groh, is a Parcells protégé who served as one of his key assistant coaches for years.

Long had 14 sacks last season at Virginia, and his relentless effort is reminiscent of Seattle Seahawks Pro Bowler Patrick Kerney , who led the NFC with 14½ sacks.

"I'm not sure there's any such thing as can't-miss," NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock says. "But I've never enjoyed watching a kid on tape the way I have Chris Long. He plays every single play of every game like it's his last. That's rare."

Rare and coveted.

"When you're going to hand somebody $20 (million)-$30 million guaranteed," he says, "more teams are cognizant of the fact that the kid better have a passion for the game and be clean off the field."

Former Tennessee Titans general manager and current ESPN analyst Floyd Reese says this is a strong group of defensive ends headed by Long. In Monday's drills, Long ran the 40-yard dash in 4.75 seconds, finished first among defensive linemen in the 20-yard shuttle (4.21); second in the broad jump (10 feet, 4 inches); and third in the vertical jump (34 inches). He chose not to work out in linebacker drills, waiting until his March 18 pro day.

"I like this group of defensive ends," Reese says. "You can find a little bit of everything. If you want a 4-3 rush defensive end, a 3-4 linebacker … Long may fit all those.

"The other thing in a situation like Miami's when you bring in new coaches and a new general manager, the people you bring in will tell something about you.

"When you bring in a guy like Chris Long — high motor, flying at 1,000 miles per hour all the time, great work ethic, tough, great player — everybody goes, 'Oh, that's the kind of guy they like.' "