Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson
The biggest question of Tuesday in the NFL was simple: What happens now?
Can the Rams negotiate with players now that Miami, which has the No. 1 pick in this weekend's draft, has signed Michigan left tackle Jake Long?
No one seemed to know the answer. The NFL office, the Rams and agents of players the Rams potentially could talk to were all trying to figure it out for most of the afternoon. At the end of the day, though, there was some clarity.
If this remains the case and the Rams can't negotiate with players until Saturday, it says here that it's a good thing. While the early Long signing is prudent for both Long and the Dolphins, it takes away action from draft day.
If the Rams were allowed to sign a player before the start of Saturday's draft, then the Atlanta Falcons, at No. 3, would be on the clock and so on. That would make the draft anticlimactic. How fun would it be if NFL commissioner Roger Goodell got to the podium on Saturday afternoon and said the New England Patriots were on the clock at No. 7?
The allure of the draft is the intrigue. With Long off the board four days before the draft, some of the fun is already gone. Let's stop the madness and make the Rams hold their choice until Saturday.
