NFL: Ranking the next five ‘elite’ quarterbacks
By W. Osgood
Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins
In breaking down the NFL’s top 10 quarterbacks of 2014 last week, Ryan Tannehill—and not some other more well-known veterans—was the player who just missed the cut. Tannehill is not without his flaws. In 2013 he took an egregious amount of sacks, 58, and did not improve that number enough in 2014, 46, to be assured that he is rid of that flaw.
But he showed great improvement in completion percentage, 66.4 compared to 60.4 in 2013, and decreased his interception total from 17 to 12. The former college wide receiver has proven to be a more than adequate athlete for the position. In 2014, he rushed for over 300 yards.
Tannehill is an almost perfect blend of the traditional pocket passer and the new school athletic quarterback. He must improve his yards per attempt and adjusted numbers in that area to take the next step, something that will improve greatly if and when his offensive line improves to the point that his sack numbers drop into the low 30s where truly “elite” quarterbacks reside.
The Dolphins should be licking their chops looking at the 2015 wide receiver draft class as they pick No. 14. Most likely they will be able to get one of the draft’s top three wide receivers—West Virginia’s Kevin White, Dorial Green-Beckham of Oklahoma and Alabama’s Amari Cooper—at that spot, or wait till the second round where there will still likely be one or two chain movers available at what has become one of the more important positions in the NFL.
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