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July 1 is here; the three draft picks aren’t

By Ben Volin | Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 03:16 PM

Ever since Jake Long signed a contract four days before April’s draft, the Dolphins have been one the league’s pacesetters in signing their rookies, with six of their nine picks already under contract.

But one of GM Jeff Ireland’s self-imposed deadlines came and passed today. He said two weeks ago at a charity event that he hoped to have QB Chad Henne and DLs Phillip Merling and Kendall Langford signed by July 1.

But all three are still unsigned, and if you’re waiting for it to happen this week, don’t hold your breath.

I asked Harvey Greene, the team’s senior vice president of media relations, if I could get Ireland on the phone real quick to talk about the three players.

“Jeff is on vacation this week and next. He’s not in town. The same is true of Coach Sparano,” Greene said. “They are on vacation from me (and the media as well).”

And Bill Parcells is golfing up in Saratoga … which sounds slightly more fun than sitting in a room and hammering out contract negotiations.

So it likely won’t happen this week. Tim Graham contacted the agents for all three players on Friday, and they didn’t reveal much, except that they believe the contracts will be completed soon.

The first-day picks are usually the last to sign, and Merling (32nd overall) and Henne (fourth QB off the board) could be tricky negotiations. But expect all three to be present when camp starts on July 26.

The Dolphins set the early pace with six quick signings, but have fallen behind the Bears (10 of 12 picks signed) and the Eagles (eight of 10).