Mel Kiper Jr 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Expectations Are Too Great for Ryan Tannehill

Mel Kiper is right about one thing: Ryan Tannehill is capitalizing on a weak quarterback market.

The Texas A&M signal-caller is projected to be selected in the Top 10 in this year's draft, simply because there are a lot of teams that need quarterbacks and not a lot of solid options to go around. Supply doesn't meet demand, and as a result, Tannehill will have to be good enough for a first-round team—likely Miami—that is in need.

Tannehill is a good quarterback. Nobody is questioning that. However, Kiper brings up a valid point.

If there were other options—any other options, really—teams would be far less enamored with a player who is truly a big work in progress.

Tannehill showed up at A&M as a quarterback, but switched to wide receiver as a freshman. However, he still attended quarterback meetings. Therefore, when team injuries forced him into another switch and a starting role during his junior year, he achieved some success.

Last season, Tannehill led the Aggies to a 7-6 record, throwing for 3,744 yards, 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.

His are not the kind of dominating numbers you'd expect to see from a Top-10 quarterback prospect, and they don't compare to those of Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III. Tannehill finished his college career having proven a lot less than either of those prospects in just 19 starts.

Intangibles only go so far, so why is Tannehill being talked about like he's on their level?

Kiper, for one, has refused to buy into the hype. While he has the quarterback going to Miami at No. 8 overall—which seems to be Tannehill's consensus landing spot—he ranks Tannehill at No. 18 on his Big Board.

Per ESPN.com:

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Think about it this way: If Matt Barkley, Landry Jones and even Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson were in the draft, Tannehill would certainly be behind Barkley, but might even be behind Jones and Wilson on many draft boards. Sure, it would have made for an incredible year for QB prospects, but it shows you how the desperation for great quarterbacks in the NFL can create a situation where a team like Miami could take a top-10 shot on a player who still has a lot of projection left. 

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Kiper is right about that. Tannehill has a lot of work to do in order to prove he belongs in the NFL. There are still are scouts, pundits and GMs alike who believe he's all hype.

The encouraging signs are that Tannehill displays the arm strength, athleticism and mobility it takes to succeed as an NFL quarterback. He has the maturity and the work ethic to be great. However, he's so unproven that he's anything but a safe pick, and taking him with the No. 8 overall selection is incredibly risky.

That being said, Tannehill is the best Miami can do. He can learn under a coach who helped him develop at Texas A&M until he's ready for the spotlight.

It's just hard to believe that someone who isn't ready for the spotlight yet—and could be far from it—is going to go in the first round. That's just the kind of year it is.