Ryan Tannehill Looks, Acts Like a Starter at Miami Dolphins Rookie Minicamp

Ryan Tannehill had the reputation of being the least pro-ready of the first-round quarterbacks in the 2012 NFL draft. That still didn't deter Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin from leaving the door open to Tannehill starting this year. This weekend, at his first rookie minicamp, Tannehill began the process of walking through that door into the starting job.

Jeff Darlington of NFL.com (former Dolphins beat writer) had one clear takeaway from his time at the minicamp:

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If Miami can absorb anything from its past three days, it might instead be Tannehill's clear desire to become the leader of this team.

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Tannehill wasted little time contacting his fellow rookies to begin discussions of the playbook, according to third-round pick and tight end Michael Egnew. Tannehill himself said he wants to be seen as a leader, especially at the minicamp, and that leadership is part of the job of a quarterback.

Ben Volin of the The Palm Beach Post noticed Tannehill's leadership at the minicamp, calling him an "extra coach on the field."

According to Volin, Tannehill said he knows 80-85 percent of the offense from the time he spent with offensive coordinator Mike Sherman when they were together at Texas A&M. That allows him to help fellow rookies get up to speed in the scheme.

Head coach Joe Philbin implied that Tannehill is ahead of veteran QBs Matt Moore and David Garrard in familiarity with the offense, but that knowledge would eventually "even itself out." Philbin expects the starting job to be decided by decision making, accuracy and playmaking ability. 

Ryan Tannehill had to walk on at Texas A&M and play wide receiver for two-and-a-half years before he got his shot at quarterback for the Aggies. From the looks of it, he won't have to wait nearly as long to take over as starting quarterback on his first pro team.