General Manager Jeff Ireland freely acknowledges that owner Stephen Ross' presence will be felt Thursday night in the Dolphins' draft room when the team makes its first-round pick. "He'll be sitting right next to me, I'm sure," Ireland said Monday. But Ireland tried to convince skeptics that he and coach Joe Philbin - not Ross, who bought the team three years ago - will make the call on the eighth overall pick. Ireland wanted to shoot down media reports that Ross is pressuring him to choose Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill in the first round. "Steve is very engaged, but he's also very supportive in leaving the decisions of the draft to me and coach Philbin and our scouts," Ireland said. Ireland appeared on the mid-day webcast Monday of ProFootballTalk.com to respond to reports by the website and Sports Illustrated's Peter King that Ross wants to draft Tannehill in an effort to boost season-ticket sales and ease the sting of a lackluster off-season. Ireland said that if Miami chooses Tannehill, it won't be because Ross ordered it. "He understands the thought process, he stands by our draft analysis, he knows the kind of preparation that goes into it and he's fully supportive of us making the best pick that improves our football team the best," Ireland said. Source: Palm Beach Post
