NFL Draft: Miami Dolphins Looking for a Savior in Ryan Tannehill

Everyone knows the Miami Dolphins have struggled to find a suitable quarterback to fill the legendary white cleats of Dan Marino.  Since Marino retired after the 1999 season, the Dolphins have started no fewer than 16 different quarterbacks in 12 NFL seasons.  But if the prognosticators are correct the Dolphins will select Ryan Tannehill, the senior quarterback from Texas A&M with the eighth pick in tonight's NFL draft.  

Tannehill would represent not only Miami's next best hope of becoming the franchise quarterback they desperately need but also the first quarterback selected in the first round of the draft by the Dolphins since they took Marino with the 27th pick in 1983.

The search and futile efforts to fill the quarterback position is central to the dismal decline of this former benchmark NFL franchise.

Locally, the Dolphins now fall behind the Heat in popularity and the Marlins in relevance. Competitively they were bypassed long ago by New England Patriots within their own division.  One division title in the last decade (2008), one playoff appearance that same year.  Three straight losing seasons, a 1-15 mark in 2007, a turbulent series of head coaches and volatility in the front office are a number of reasons why Miami's season ticket sales continue dropping to all-time lows.

The atmosphere between the team, its fans and the community is so corrupted with distrust and skepticism that regardless of the outcome of tonight's draft, no one will believe anything is going to change for this team until it actually does.

That's what happens when you've expended all your legitimacy drafting offensive lineman in the first round in a pass-happy league, when you take Ted Ginn, Jr. with the ninth pick, when you passed on Drew Brees for Dante Culpepper. Those might not be fair criticisms (especially since their done with the benefit of hindsight) but perception need not reflect reality when you're operating in the emotional landscape of sports. 

Tannehill, a fairly unknown quantity given that he only started 19 games at quarterback in college and considered by many a second round talent, is the perfect, imperfect pick for this franchise.  The former Aggie, not once, not twice, but three times lost preseason starting job competitions to other QBs in College Station.  The head coach who not once, not twice but three times determined Tannehill would be better suited at receiver rather than quarterback at A&M, Mike Sherman, is the new offensive coordinator in Miami.

The draft experts talk about "measurables" with players like Tannehill as a pseudo-scientific way of defining potential.  He's been repeatedly labeled as a "developmental quarterback," meaning the doubt when selecting him should be overlooked based on the limitless benefit he may possess. How about some actual "numbers" from Tannehill's brief but effective play in college?

Last year, Tannehill's only season as the undisputed starter, he passed for over 3,700 yards, throwing 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.  His completion percentage was 61.6 percent.  Comparing that with the top two QB prospects, and the likely top two picks, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III there's a sharp contrast.  Luck threw for over 3,500 yards, 37 touchdowns and 10 picks with a 71.3 percent completion percentage in his senior season at Stanford.  RG3 was over 4,000 yards throwing, with a 72.4 percent completion rate, 36 TDs and only six interceptions in his impressive Heisman-winning campaign.

Here's Tannehill's big game performance numbers from last year as well:

vs. Oklahoma St. (ranked #7 at that time)- 27/47, 309 yds., 2 TD, 3 INT

vs. Arkansas (#18)- 25/35, 247 yds., 0 TD, 1 INT

vs. Baylor (#20)- 25/37, 415 yds., 6 TD, 1 INT

vs. Oklahoma (#6)- 32/63, 379 yds., 2 TD, 3 INT

vs. Kansas St. (#14)- 27/46, 210 yds., 3 TD, 1 INT

vs. Texas (#25)- 20/49, 224 yds., 2 TD, 3 INT

If historical performance is any indicator of future production, than Tannehill is far from a sure thing.

Such is the predicament for the Dolphins, that if they pick Tannehill there will be hooting and hollering that the pick was wasted, other areas (namely defensive end or wide receiver) should have been addressed. Likewise if Miami picks someone else, they're will be plenty of opinions that will decry the missed opportunity to pick up a raw but talented quarterback.  

That's what happens when the foundation a franchise once stood upon has completely deteriorated from right underneath them.

All quarterback stats from the college football page on ESPN.com.