NFL Draft 2012: Could Ryan Tannehill Land with Miami Dolphins?
The Miami Dolphins have whiffed on signing three different free agent quarterbacks this offseason and Texas A&M signal-caller Ryan Tannehill could benefit from the situation.
The Dolphins struck out with free agents Peyton Manning, Matt Flynn and Alex Smith and have been forced to settle on signing veteran David Garrard. Garrard will battle Matt Moore for the starting job in what might be one of the weakest quarterback competitions in NFL history.
Miami does have another option and that is using the 2012 NFL Draft to pick up a signal-caller. The problem is that the top two quarterbacks will probably be spoken for, with Stanford's Andrew Luck likely to be taken with the first pick by the Indianapolis Colts, while Baylor's Robert Griffin III will seemingly go No. 2 to the Washington Redskins.
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That leaves the Dolphins sitting at No. 8 in desperate need of a quarterback. Texas A&M's Ryan Tannehill is widely considered the third-best quarterback in the 2012 draft class, but most project him as a late first-round pick. Selecting eighth overall would be a huge reach.
The Dolphins could trade up from the second round into the back half of the first round to grab Tannehill there and that might be the best option available to them.
Tannehill is extremely raw but has the talent to be a franchise-type player under center. New Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin was instrumental in the development of Green Bay Packers MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, so he knows what it takes to turn a young signal-caller into a stud.
If the Dolphins did figure out a way to land Tannehill it would probably take him at least a season on the bench to be ready for full-time NFL action. That said, he could be the best option available to a team utterly devoid of talent under center. He has all the tools scouts drool over and could be a star in the future.
After so many misses on the open market, Miami may have to make a move to get him, but at least the team would have an answer for its future at quarterback.
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