There's nothing like a little mystery to spice up Dolphins drafts. Here's the latest trend: Introduce a top pick, then wait for a wave of medical questions. It happened again Saturday. One minute the Dolphins were announcing the first-round selection of offensive tackle Billy Milner of Houston. Then came a flurry of inquiries about Milner's neck condition. The Dolphins chose Milner (6 feet 5 and 295) with the 25th pick despite a diagnosis of stenosis, a narrowing of the protective bone around the spinal column. "We had our doctors check him out at the (scouting) combine, and everything was fine," Miami coach Don Shula said. "I played four years of college ball," Milner said, "and I missed one play because of an ankle injury. My neck never bothered me." Two years ago, running back Terry Kirby, a second-round Miami choice, was discovered to have a vision problem. Last year's No. 1 pick, nose tackle Tim Bowens, became more of a story when it was learned that he was missing two toes on his left foot. The Dolphins hope Milner produces in the manner of Kirby and Bowens. Kirby started the first four games last year before injuring a knee; Bowens was NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year for 1994. Miami looked past Milner for help on the line, however, taking guard Andrew Greene (6-3, 304) of Indiana in the second round. Greene, who turns 26 in September, moved from Jamaica to Canada when he was 12 and didn't begin playing football until he was in the ninth grade. The team's first task is grooming a replacement for right tackle Ron Heller, who turns 33 in the fall and is entering the final year of his contract. Milner likely will play that role. He also provides backup to All-Pro left tackle Richmond Webb. "He fits in perfectly with our scheme," Dolphins line coach Monte Clark said of Milner. "He's an outstanding pass blocker, and he has the ability to recover when he's in trouble. He does that as well as anybody in the draft." Milner was rated as one of the top six bffensive linemen in the draft, but some teams crossed him off after his neck condition was reported during the scouting combine in February. "We knew of at least one team that was concerned about him before the draft, and two or three more had concerns today," said Milner's agent, Jimmy Sexton. Sexton had Milner examined by neck specialist Bob Watkins of the Jobe-Kerlan Center of Los Angeles. Milner was given a clean bill of health, Sexton said. "We never thought of this as a problem at all," Sexton said. Milner was the fourth offensive lineman taken in the first round. Jacksonville chose Southern Cal tackle Tony Boselli with the No. 2 pick, Buffalo took guard Reuben Brown of Pittsburgh at No. 14, and Minnesota grabbed Ohio State tackle Korey Stringer at No. 24. The Dolphins hoped Stringer would drop one more spot. When he didn't, the choice came down to three offensive tackles: Milner, Blake Brockermeyer of Texas and Brian DeMarco of Michigan State.