Fins Take Tannehill

[Sunstroke]

As commented on before, I have no problem with Tannehill...but hope that Matt Moore has an improved 2012 season, so the Phins don't have to rush him in there before he's ready.

[Pappy13]

Or he isn't capable of playing the NFL game yet.  

Hard to get excited about a player who you hopefully won't see play for another year or 2.  Hence the sigh.

I'm not hoping that I don't see him in 2012, I'm hoping he plays his way into the starting position and you see him in 2012, but if he doesn't and becomes the starter in 2013 and turns out to be a top 10 QB in the NFL, I'll be happy as a pig in slop. There are still plenty of picks left in the draft to get excited about for 2012. Have a little faith in Tannehill, but more importantly have a little faith in Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman.

[mecadonzilla]

I'm not hoping that I don't see him in 2012, I'm hoping he plays his way into the starting position and you see him in 2012, but if he doesn't and becomes the starter in 2013 and turns out to be a top 10 QB in the NFL, I'll be happy as a pig in slop. There are still plenty of picks left in the draft to get excited about for 2012. Have a little faith in Tannehill, but more importantly have a little faith in Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman.

I'd like to have faith, but after years of being a Dolphin fan, it's all used up.  I hope Ryan really lights it up and proves all the critics (including myself) wrong, but I'm not going to hold my breath.

At least they can say they addressed a position of tremendous need.

[badger6]

Have a little faith in Tannehill, but more importantly have a little faith in Joe Philbin and Mike Sherman.

To each his own, but I'll save the hope and faith for someone else. I'm fine with the Tannehill pick, but I want results. Give him a year or two, but lets not let this turn into Henne the sequel. There were some that had "faith" in Henne until his final snap in Miami.

[Spider-Dan]

So to put this in historical perspective:

According to ESPN's 2012 NFL Draft page, Tannehill graded out at a 94.  (For comparison, Luck was a 99, RG3 was a 97, and Weeden was an 86.)  Here's how the first-round QBs from some previous drafts have graded out:

2011
Newton (1): 93
Locker (8): 90
Gabbert (10): 96
Ponder (12): 85

2010
Bradford (1): 97
Tebow (25): 78

2009
Stafford (1): 96
Sanchez (5): 95
Freeman (17): 85

So I guess you could say MIA got a QB that graded out higher than Cam Newton!  Or worse than Mark Sanchez and Blaine Gabbert.  Hmmm.

In any case, picking a QB graded 94 at the #8 slot definitely isn't a reach, and could be considered slightly (very slightly) exceeding expectations for the slot.

P.S. Mallett (74): 82

[mecadonzilla]

I'd say Tannehill is a reach by almost any standard.  You can get deep into the numbers, but there was virtually no way he was going before the '20s.

Regardless...he's here now.

[Pappy13]

I understand how you all feel, I really do. It's been very hard for me to stay positive as well the last several years seeing QB's and coaches come and go like they were on a merry go round. But there's one thing that maybe I can remember that allows me to have a little faith. I was also around when Dan was drafted in '83 in the first round and was the 6th QB taken that year. Dan had a terrific Junior year at Pitt and was expected to compete for the Heismann trophy in his Senior season only to have a sub-par year which caused his stock to drop. When Miami drafted him, no one knew what he had to offer. Would he be the Junior QB that seemed destined for greatness or the Senior QB who was just so-so? I was around when he came off the bench in a couple games and threw a couple of TD's. I was around when he got his first start. I was around when he got his first win and I was around in '84 when he lead the Dolphins to the SB and the first 5,000 yard season. At no time prior to that or since then have I been as excited about the Dolphins future as I was then. I don't know what Tannehill is going to do in the NFL, but I do know that a young franchise QB will make you forget about a lot of bad stuff. So I hold out hope that magic can happen again.

[MikeO]

I understand how you all feel, I really do. It's been very hard for me to stay positive as well the last several years seeing QB's and coaches come and go like they were on a merry go round. But there's one thing that maybe I can remember that allows me to have a little faith. I was also around when Dan was drafted in '83 in the first round and was the 5th QB taken that year. Dan had a terrific Junior year at Pitt and was expected to compete for the Heismann trophy in his Senior season only to have a sub-par year which caused his stock to drop. When Miami drafted him, know one knew what he had to offer. Would he be the Junior QB or the Senior QB? I was around when he came off the bench in a couple games and threw a couple of TD's. I was around when he got his first start. I was around when he got his first win and I was around in '84 when he lead the Dolphins to the SB and the first 5,000 yard season. At no time prior to that or since then have I been as excited about the Dolphins future as I was then. I don't know what Tannehill is going to do in the NFL, but I do know that a young franchise QB will make you forget about a lot of bad stuff. So I hold out hope that magic can happen again.

Also gives us the rest of this draft and all of next years draft to now ignore the QB position and build up the rest of the team. Makes drafting and putting together the team a lot easier when at every pick you don't have to go...."is this were we take our QB"

The biggest black cloud hanging over this franchise is now gone!!!!

[Spider-Dan]

Given the players that KC and SEA took, I find it very difficult to believe that Tannehill would have made it past 12.  It goes without saying that he certainly would not have made it past 22 under any foreseeable circumstance.

Look at the grading of players on ESPN's draft page and tell me that the #8 pick stands out as a reach.

[MikeO]

As Charley Casserly and Mike Mayock have been saying. Tannehill is a better prospect entering the NFL than recent 1st round QB's like Joe Flacco, Josh Freeman, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder!

Nuff said!

[suck for luck]

Didn't really want him but here he is. I'm gonna be positive now and pray the curse is over.

[mecadonzilla]

Whatever.  In reality, I don't think it was going to happen.  Tannehill wasn't going for a long time if the Dolphins hadn't called.

You can trick yourself into thinking otherwise, no one else was interested in the QB unless he was in the 20s.  Kiper didn't even have him in the top 25 overall until very recently.

[mecadonzilla]

Didn't really want him but here he is. I'm gonna be positive now and pray the curse is over.

True dat.  What has happened has happened.  Let's move forward now.

[Spider-Dan]

Whatever.  In reality, I don't think it was going to happen.  Tannehill wasn't going for a long time if the Dolphins hadn't called.

You can trick yourself into thinking otherwise, no one else was interested in the QB unless he was in the 20s.  Kiper didn't even have him in the top 25 overall until very recently.

Don't get me wrong, I'm also somewhat dismayed with his rise up the charts in the offseason.  That being said, he wasn't just rising up the charts of the Dolphins' draft board; the talking heads everywhere had pumped him up.  Brandon freaking Weeden going at 22 should tell you that Tannehill was not going to last until the 20s.  If he had gotten into the teens, some team would have traded up.

[mecadonzilla]

I think Cleveland was more likely to take Weeden at 22 if Tannehill was still available.  Some team may have traded up into the teens, but I don't think it's likely teams were willing to trade up for a player who under the realistic best case scenario wouldn't be ready for a long while.  Teams who have time to wait on players tend to draft them later.

But as I said earlier, it no longer matters.  Since I'm not paying for his draft slot, I'm not going to be too bothered worrying about this.  It would have been nice to get an extra pick or two and still pick up the same guy, but Miami brass felt otherwise.  They think they have their guy so Tannehill's gotta go out there and prove them right...eventually.  Ireland made his QB bed and now he has to lay in it.