New York ? Earlier this week, when the Miami Dolphins made Michigan tackle Jake Long the No. 1 overall selection, it seemed some of the mystery was bled out of the NFL Draft.

Turns out, things are as uncertain as ever.

There’s no sure No. 2 pick – St. Louis is debating the merits of two defensive linemen: Virginia’s Chris Long and Louisiana State’s Glenn Dorsey – and that could have a significant impact on how the dominoes fall in Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City, New York and elsewhere.

It’s enough to leave a guy’s stomach churning, which is exactly what’s happening in the Charlottesville, Va., home of Chris Long, where his father, former Raiders great Howie Long, can’t seem to quiet the growling in his gut.

“I just told him, ‘Take a drive, man. Do something. Get outside,'” his son said. “I was at home the other day, and he kept fixing these peanut-butter sandwiches. I’m like, ‘Man, are you still hungry?’ And he’s like, ‘I’m just so wound tight I’ve got to eat.'”

The younger Long seemed very at ease Thursday, speaking to reporters at the annual pre-draft luncheon. Also on hand were Jake Long, Dorsey, Arkansas running back Darren McFadden, Ohio State defensive end Vernon Gholston, and Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan.

Chris Long shrugged off the fact Miami didn’t use the top pick on him.

“The sky is falling: I’m a first-round draft pick,” he said, smiling at the irony. “I mean, geez, life is terrible: I’m going to play in the NFL. No matter what happens, I could fall to the bottom of the first round, I could fall to the third round, I don’t care. I just want to play football.

“I don’t care about draft day,” he added, convincingly. “Draft day is a day for my family and me and some of my teammates to celebrate what we’ve been able to accomplish as a group. … Other than that, it’s more the beginning of a new career.”

That’s not to say he’s disengaged from the process this week. He concedes that he regularly checks the Internet, scans blogs and feasts on any negative comments he can find about himself. They inspire him.

Dorsey, too, said he surfs the Web in search of slights, doubters, people who say he’s overrated or somehow damaged goods because of past injuries. During the scouting combine, there were concerns over whether he had lingering effects from a 2006 stress fracture in his leg.

“You want to see what’s being said about you,” he said. “Lately, all I’ve been hearing about me is injury, injury, injury, which I didn’t think was a big deal at all. That’s just the way it is. I can’t control that. People are going to say what they want to say.

“You take it personal … if you’ve got somebody coming out talking negative. You come out and put your heart into the game, and to have somebody second-guess. I didn’t miss a game at LSU, and even if I was hurt, I played through it. That kind of looked like a plus to me. I have heart.”

He laughed about one site reporting he had knee surgery during the off-season, calling that “about as crazy as you can get.”

McFadden and Ryan said they steer well clear of the Internet, at least when it comes to perusing sites that criticize them.

There’s a good chance Ryan could go as early as third to Atlanta. McFadden is also coveted by several teams.