No mystery with Dion Jordan's assignment

I have gotten a handful of emails from fans wondering what the Dolphins are going to do with Dion Jordan, their newly minted first-round draft pick.

I supposed the question comes because general manager Jeff Ireland said during the draft he would let coaches figure out what the best way to use Jordan would be and coach Joe Philbin sometimes struggles to give a direct answer to a straight questions such as, "Is player X a guard or a tackle?"

So let me help you.

Dion Jordan is not a linebacker.

Dion Jordan is not a safety.

Dion Jordan is not a slot corner.

Believe it or not, it can be argued he did a little of all those at Oregon. Well, this is the NFL. This is not Oregon.

And in the NFL, on a 4-3 team, Dion Jordan will be a defensive end. If he is one of the team's best two complete ends, he'll start and play three downs. If he's more a pass-rusher early on while he learns the game, he'll play mostly on passing downs until he figures out his assignments and holding the edge of the defense on run plays and so forth.

But Jordan was drafted to get the quarterback on the ground. He was drafted to apply pressure to the passer. He was drafted to maybe cause errant throws that get intercepted. He was drafted to strip the ball from the quarterback and cause fumbles.

He wasn't drafted to cover tight ends or running backs. He wasn't drafted to patrol the middle of the field.

Hopefully the Dolphins move him around. Hopefully the Dolphins let him stand up if he's more comfortable doing that than rushing from a three-point or four-point stance. But, ultimately, rushing the passer is the thing.

He's going to get paid to collect sacks. And hurries.

No mystery.