Why Miami Dolphins Reach for Ryan Tannehill Would Just Make Matters Worse

Just yesterday I wrote here at Bleacher Report that the Miami Dolphins had capped a disastrous offseason of trying to upgrade at the quarterback position by signing journeyman David Garrard, but it appears that general manager Jeff Ireland and the Dolphins braintrust may have one more trick up their sleeves.

After team owner Stephen Ross stressed that the Dolphins' top offseason priority was upgrading under center, the team swung and missed at the quarterback position at every turn, watching Peyton Manning spurn Miami for the Denver Broncos, Matt Flynn do the same in lieu of the Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Redskins land the rights to the St. Louis Rams second overall pick and Baylor signal-caller Robert Griffin.

Now, facing an unappetizing platter of Garrard and Matt Moore at quarterback, the Dolphins may be preparing to make their biggest reach of the offseason, as Steve Muench of ESPN expects the Dolphins to take a long look at Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill with the eighth overall pick in April's NFL draft.

"

Tannehill is widely considered the No. 3 quarterback in the 2012 draft class behind Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, and the Dolphins will certainly consider him with the eighth overall pick.

"

Tannehill, who threw for over 3,700 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2011, may well be the third best quarterback in this year's draft class, but the gap in talent between Tannehill and Griffin is more like a gaping chasm, and there are a couple of reasons why selecting Tannehill in the top 10 would be at best a reach and at worst an unmitigated disaster.

First, while the 6'4", 221-pound Tannehill certainly showed a strong arm and flashes of brilliance during his time at College Station, he was also erratic at times, with a so-so 62 percent completion percentage and stretches of sketchy play from time to time.

Those stretches are highlighted by a somewhat alarming number of turnovers in college, as Tannehill tossed 21 interceptions over the past two seasons. Quarterbacks that throw ill-advised passes at the collegiate level have a tendency to throw cringe-inducing passes in the National Football League, and while Tannehill does possess a gun, that strong arm isn't enough to compensate for repeatedly throwing passes into coverage, especially at the professional level.

Finally, Tannehill doesn't have anything close to an extensive collegiate resume, posting only 15 career starts while at Texas A&M. The presence of former Aggies head coach Mike Sherman as the new offensive coordinator in Miami may seem to be a plus that would aid Tannehill in his transition, but as Mr. Muench also points out there's no guarantee that Sherman is in the mood for a Texas-style reunion on South Beach.

"

Former Aggies coach Mike Sherman is now Miami's offensive coordinator so there is a natural fit there, though you do have to wonder whether Sherman sees the same upside as others given that he played Tannehill at wide receiver for the bulk of his college career.

"

There's no question that this has been an offseason of frustration for fans of the Miami Dolphins, and several of Miami's more vocal supporters made their feelings known by protesting outside Dolphins headquarters on Tuesday.

However, while pressure is building on Ireland and Dolphins brass to return the Dolphins to prominence in the AFC East, drafting a green quarterback who is anything but a sure bet with a top 10 pick isn't likely to alleviate that pressure.

In fact, should the Dolphins indeed reach for Tannehill only to see the Aggies standout disappoint (a distinct possibility), then not only will that pressure continue to build, but it will likely reach critical mass and explode. And if Jeff Ireland isn't careful, the next set of uncomfortable questions he finds himself answering may well be on an unemployment application.

Follow @IDPManor