INDIANAPOLIS — Virginia's Chris Long is Bill Parcells' kind of player. He is tough, intense and versatile, not to mention he has good blood lines.

That's why Long is a favorite to end up with the Miami Dolphins as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft on April 26. Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan and LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey also are expected to be considered by the Dolphins if they hold onto the top choice.

"No matter where I was picked, any opportunity to play in the National Football League is an opportunity I would cherish," Long over the weekend. "To be in that position (to be the top choice), you have to work even harder and show up with more humility and more of an open mind, because people will be looking at you.

"Wherever I go and whoever I go play for, I'm a football player. I enjoy playing football. I enjoy the game; I enjoy being a teammate. I won't change. I'll be the same guy."

Long was born to be a football player. His father, Howie, is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after making 84 sacks — not counting 8 1/2 his rookie season, before sacks became an official statistic — in 13 seasons with the Raiders.

There is a lot of Howie Long in his eldest son, who had 14 sacks, 23 pressures, nine pass breakups and an interception last season in earning ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors and the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end.

"I think he's a lot like his dad from the standpoint of intensity, honesty, body build, the whole thing," said Gil Brandt, the Cowboys' former player personnel director. "The guy's got great leadership qualities, too. He goes out of his way to introduce himself to players. He's one of those guys that other players gravitate toward."

Chris Long's motor never stops, the same thing that was said about his father, a second-round pick from Villanova.

"My dad taught me to work hard and to be the same guy every day," Chris Long said. "If that's going 100 miles per hour and working hard, then that's what I'll do."

Long, who measured 6-foot-3 and weighed 272 pounds, played end in coach Al Groh's 3-4 defense. But scouts believe Long could make a smooth transition to a pass-rushing outside linebacker, something Parcells had great success with in moving DeMarcus Ware with the Cowboys.

"There's not a lot of 3-4 college defenses, and the way Chris plays (for Virginia), he's as NFL-ready as you can be from a 3-4 standpoint," said Kevin Colbert, the Pittsburgh Steelers' director of football operations. "He plays a very difficult technique, and he does it very well. So he's a perfect 3-4 defensive end. Could he stand up and be a linebacker? Absolutely. He is, I'd say, rare for a college defensive lineman, especially more specific to a 3-4 defense."