Miami Dolphins In Depth

Jeff Ireland talks about Ryan Tannehill

Dolphins general manager Ryan Tannehill came into the press room to briefly discuss picking quarterback Ryan Tannehill before scurrying back to the draft room for the rest of the first round. This is what he said:

Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland (After First Round Pick)

(Opening Statement) – “Well, thanks for being here. Obviously very, very excited to have Ryan [Tannehill, QB, Texas A&M] as our eighth pick in the draft. This is a kid we've been following - myself personally and our staff has been following for quite a while. There are a couple of things we like about him, obviously. He's got great size, he's got a strong arm, he's tough, he's very bright, he's got very, very good athletic ability for the quarterback position. We're just very excited to have him. This kind of finalizes a plan that we'd kind of put in place several months ago when we started with the free agency process, started preparing for the draft. We're excited to have him. This kind of solidifies the quarterback position. This isn't all about Ryan Tannehill; this kind of solidifies the quarterback position. When we set out, we wanted depth at the position. Obviously this brings a new, young face in there and he's going to compete as hard as he can. We're not going to make any predictions about when he'll start or what he'll do in the first year, but I can tell you one thing: this kid's a competitor and he'll want to be the starter. We feel like he's going to have a chance to learn the system. He's already got a leg up on that as well. It was an all-in decision. From the football side, our scouts, our coaches, Mike Sherman [Offensive Coordinator], Zac Taylor [Assistant Quarterbacks Coach], Jim Turner [Offensive Line Coach], all of who were at Texas A&M last year, all felt very, very good about it. I personally have watched all of his games from 2010 and I thought he had first-round ability just off of his junior season. This season I saw him play a couple of times. I very much like the player and we're just excited to have Ryan and his wife Lauren join the Miami Dolphins family.”

(On relying upon Mike Sherman as part of the due diligence process) – “I leaned on him a lot. He was his coach; he had him there four years and knew him very well. Zac Taylor knew him very well. I had Mike in my office or maybe I was in his office a couple of different times just asking different questions about the person, about the competitor, about the football knowledge that he has, his needs...I leaned on him quite a bit. I made sure that I was the only person to have that information along with Joe [Philbin, Head Coach]. I wasn't going to give it to the rest of the league. I leaned on him a lot as a matter of fact.”

(On how Tannehill factored into the Dolphins' plans at quarterback) – “You don't say well, oh, that's the guy, and put all of your eggs into one basket but you certainly say, well, look, we're going to these guys and these guys and he was certainly a part of the equation. You have contingencies to things but he was part of big plan. I'm not going to say he's the guy that we just went after and put all our eggs in that basket, but he was certainly part of a plan.”

(On what Tannehill can be with the Miami Dolphins) – “Putting a prediction on a player...it's not different than the ceiling on Vontae Davis (CB) or the ceiling on Jared Odrick (DE). I didn't take him as the eighth pick in the draft to be a back-up quarterback. I picked him to be a starting quarterback in this league at some point, to have an impact on this football team, to help us win football games and championships. That's the expectation that I have going down the line.”

(On the excitement level when drafting a quarterback) – “It's exciting. The draft's an exciting process in its entirety. And to draft a quarterback, whether it is first round or second round, it's exciting for you to have these hopes and dreams for a guy. It's a very important position and it's a position that everybody looks at for wins and losses. So we're excited to have Ryan and we're going to welcome him into the family.”

(On if Ryan Tannehill is ready for the starting job in the 2012 season or if he needs a year on the bench) – “I'm going to let the coaches decide on when he's going to be ready to compete. Obviously he's going to be on the roster and he's going to be competing with the other three quarterbacks we have. I think he's going to have a pretty good idea of what the offense is going to look like. He's going to have a leg up in that regard. You know, whether he's ready to be the starter, that's the coach's decision.”

(On if the fact that Tannehill had a coach who thought he wasn't ready to be a quarterback came up in the process) – “He told us all that, that he should have been the starter his freshman year. But that's the competitor in him. That's what I love about the kid, that he always thought he was better than the guys in front of him. But those guys that played in front of him had something to do with it too. Experience is something that he certainly needs. Experience is something that he doesn't have a lot of. But the games that he played, that also impresses you, because he was also able to do something pretty damn good in a short period of time.”

Miami Dolphins select Ryan Tannehill in first round

The Miami Dolphins have selected Ryan Tannehill with the No. 8 overall selection in the first round of the NFL draft.

Tannehill, a Texas A&M product, is the first quarterback the Dolphins select in the first round since 1983 when the team picked Dan Marino.

"It was awesome, it was everything I expected and more," Tannehill said on ESPN of the phone call he had with the team before the pick.

Tannehill is 6-3 and 224 pounds. He threw 29 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions in his 13 starts for the Aggies in 2012. There is an interesting statistic here: Aggies receivers dropped 70 passes this year.

As I have reported earlier, Dolphins owner Steve Ross did not push Jeff Ireland to pick Tannehill. The owner wanted a quarterback but did not demand this quarterback. I'm told Ireland decided Tannehill was his man over a week ago.

I do not expect the Dolphins to say that Tannehill will sit this season. But that is exactly what I expect will happen.

Tannehill still seems like the pick

One hour from the start of the 2012 NFL draft -- by 21st that I'm covering, by the way -- and every indication continues to point to the Dolphins picking Ryan Tannehill.

Why?

Who you got that's better? No seriously, who is better that will potentially be available at the No. 8 overall selection?

Hear my heart, I am not trying to convince you that Tannehill is the best player for the Dolphins. I am merely trying to explain what the Dolphins may be thinking. That is that there is no shining talent that is likely to be available at No. 8 that is a must-pick guy.

Mark Barron? Is he Ed Reed?

He's not even a free safety. He's a strong safety.

Quinton Coples? He's not Julius Peppers. Sorry.

Luke Kuechly? I love the kid. He's going to be a fine player. But the Dolphins have Karlos Dansby and this is a team that never won anything with great inside linebackers like Zach Thomas or John Offerdahl on the roster. Inside linebackers have to be all-time talents such as Ray Lewis to make a big difference and even then they need help all around.

David DeCastro? A guard? At No. 8. Not a value.

You guys know I love Fletcher Cox. I was the first in South Florida to suggest him as a possible pick by Miami. But he's so good, he might not be around when Miami picks.

I would consider Morris Claiborne as a potential difference-maker and so would the Dolphins, but it's unlikely he'll be there.

Bottom line, the quarterback with the potential to be a franchise player -- regardless of the fact he won't be that his first season in the league -- is the logical pick. It may not be right. But it is logical.

Let's see what happens.

I'll be in the comments section as the draft begins. Join me there. 

Miami Dolphins in trade-down mode

I alluded yesterday to the idea the Dolphins could trade down from the No. 8 overall selection in the first round and today that idea is picking up steam as multiple club sources are telling me at this hour Miami has spoken to at least three teams about moving back.

Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland said at his pre-draft press conference that moving up and moving back are both possibilities. Well, moving up not so much.

Moving back definitely has a chance.

Simply, the Dolphins like the idea of possibly trading back two to 8 slots and picking up a second-round selection for their trouble. That's why Ireland has been in talks with the teams to gauge that possibility.

That doesn't mean the Dolphins absolutely are trading back. We won't know until the process begins and players start to come off the board. But Miami wants to be prepared.

The Dolphins are obviously in a good position for this move because players such as Mark Barron, Fletcher Cox, and some believe Justin Blackmon, might be on the board when the Dolphins select. Those players could cause other teams to place a higher value on Miami's slot than even the Dolphins do.

We shall see.

Draft day is here: Ready for a Prius draft party?

Draft day is here! Big doings here at The Miami Herald and on my radio show, Armando and Perkins on 640Sports.

Here's the deal: First off please check out the information below. It tells you what I believe will happen during this Dolphins draft. It tells you what should happen. It gives analysis and opinion. Pretty cool, right?

Then tune in to my radio show at 640-AM in South Florida or the webcast right here at The Miami Herald. We'll be talking Dolphins and NFL draft with tons of guests, including Nat Moore, Keith Sims, Tony Collins, Louis Oliver, Gino Torretta, Troy Drayton and others throughout the morning 6-10 a.m. You are welcome to call in toll free from anywhere in the United States at 1-888-640-9385.

We are having a draft party in a Prius. Let's just say it was the suggestion of a co-worker I respect. 640Sports will have on-air personalities driving around South Florida in a Toyota Prius throughout the day. For my show, the Sports Brothers will be on the highways and byways giving out prizes.

If you listen to the show and attend the Dolphins Draft party starting this evening at Sun Life Stadium, you can win the 640 Sports Challenge. All you have to do is listen, show up to the draft party and win.

The winner gets a Jake Scott autographed football. Scott was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl VII, the game that culminated Miami's perfect season.

As to the actual draft, consider my thoughts by way of categories:

Most likely draft pick in Round One: Ryan Tannehill. As I wrote in my column today, Tannehill simply makes the most sense for a team trying to plug a hole that's been leaking far too long. He is not ready to play in 2012. The Dolphins won't admit this because, well, it's probably not wise to set the bar so low. But as Mike Mayock said this evening on the NFL Network, the guy is going to take a year or two to become NFL functional. The Dolphins have that time because they have two vets that I write about in the column.

Do I dig the idea of Tannehill?: Not that much. I believe the Dolphins would be picking a guy at No. 8 that is not the eighth best player in the draft. I understand QBs are overdrafted. This would be a classic case of a player being overdrafted.

Most likely alternative: Trade down. The Cowboys need to jump higher to grab Alabama safety Mark Barron. They need to get up ahead of the Bills who covet Barron and are scheduled to pick 10th. If the Dolphins aren't truly sold on Tannehill to the point they could be talked into picking lower and adding a second-round pick, this is the scenario that could play out. Frankly, I would love this scenario because Miami should still get a good player at 14 and then have two second-round picks plus two third-round picks. The Cowboys have the 45th overall pick or 13th pick in the second round.

Most likely player drafted if not Tannehill: I still think the Dolphins love Fletcher Cox. He fits as an addition to their 4-3 look. He can be an inside presence -- you've seen what that did for Detroit when they got one. He has pass-rush skills that can translate to DE. And he'd be great in sub packages. There's also the fact he would play right away. By the way, if you're thinking the Dolphins have plenty of DT help, remember the team is considering Jared Odrick at DE and Randy Starks is unsigned after this season.

Most likely player drafted if not Tannehill and Cox: South Carolina CB Stephon Gilmore. Dolphins like him a lot. He also plays an impact position where the Dolphins have lacked players that turn the ball over. There are some NFL teams -- New England among them -- considering going with extra corners and dialing back to one safety. It is an adjustment to the offensive explosion that's happening in the league. Teams simply require more cover players.

Player the Dolphins absolutely, positively will not draft in the first round: Iowa OT Riley Reiff. Remember him? Kiper and Bucky Brooks and others had him listed to the Dolphins in their early mock drafts. The Dolphins don't love him much. He has short arms. He lacks explosive punch. And he simply would be a reach to anyone picking him in the top 20. And I don't foresee the Dolphins being that low in the round.

Quarterback I like most not named Luck or Griffin: Kirk Cousins of Michigan State. You will laugh, but he reminds me of Tom Brady. Under the radar guy. Chip on his shoulder. Played in a major conference for a long time and won a lot of games. Did heroic stuff in college. Was a wonderboy in the fourth quarter. Was very good in the red zone. Has a solid arm that could get better. Smart. He is a leader, as made obvious by the fact he was captain three consecutive years. He'll probably go in the late second or third round. I would take him. At the end of the day, I guess I'm big on production. You know, stuff that happens on the field.

Getting ahead of ourselves for Friday: In the second round I'm thinking offensive line and specifically right tackle. Mike Adams of Ohio State is a possibility. I also like Kendal Wright of Baylor as a WR possibility here. My concern is the Patriots, who worked out Wright as late as this week, will grab this kid late in the first round. If the Dolphins pick up multiple second-round picks, keep T.Y. Hilton of FIU on your radar. Kid is a TD waiting to happen. Otherwise he could be third-round material as both a WR and returner.

What must happen before the weekend is out: If the Dolphins leave this draft without having added a right tackle that can compete for a starting job, I believe the draft will have failed in part of its purpose. Yes, I know Lydon Murtha is the favorite of some fans and the team has liked him for some time. But he's injury-prone, folks. And durability is a critical factor. I saw Artis Hicks work at right tackle this week and he looks like someone that other teams discard. Maybe he'd look much better in pads. I hope so. But I believe the club needs to draft a right tackle at some point this draft that can plausibly take over the starting job.