If Dolphins Want To Draft A QB Don't Take One Early in the Draft

The Miami Dolphins are going into the off-season needing to find a backup quarterback because they didn’t have one last year, and the team turned a blind eye to this. The Dolphins will most likely try to sign a veteran quarterback, which is fine, but I have also said that they should try to draft one and develop one into a potential number two quarterback.

The problem with this year’s quarterback class is that it is weak and there are no sure-fire prospects at the position. They all have question marks. It’s a good thing the Dolphins don’t need a quarterback that badly because they would probably reach on one of these guys. I’m not a huge fan of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders despite their terrific seasons last year. Sanders is no question a play maker, but I would worry about him if he’s behind a bad offensive line and taking hits.

I know he did that in college, but that’s college. Ward has to show that last year was no fluke being a one-year wonder. These guys are expected to go in the top 3 to 5 picks in the draft. After that it’s a question of what grades teams have on these quarterbacks.

The Dolphins will potentially have 10 picks in this draft, assuming they get all of the compensatory picks expected. Still, they have bigger needs on the offensive & defensive lines and safety, so they should look to prioritize those positions, especially the line of scrimmage as it is a deeper class. However, the Dolphins should try to take one later in the draft and see if they can develop one.

The other quarterbacks, Jalen Milroe, Jaxson Dart, and Quinn Ewers, have talent but have been inconsistent in their play. Milroe has physical skills, but he relies too much on his athleticism. Dart has to learn a pro-style offense after playing the spread offense at Old Miss, and that could take some time.

Ewers is a quarterback. I don’t think you know what you are going to get from game in and game out. I wouldn’t take these guys in the draft’s first three rounds, but if one slipped past the third round, maybe I would consider it. Then the question is, do any of these quarterbacks fit the Dolphins’ offense? I don’t think so, but I could be wrong.

Kyle McCord and Dillon Gabriel are the two quarterbacks the Dolphins could take a chance on later in the draft. They could fit Mike McDaniel’s offense. I saw plenty of McCord this year at Syracuse since that’s where I live. He makes quick, decisive decisions and is accurate with the football. He has a good arm and can run if he has to.

One concern I have with him is he tends to make that head-scratching throw that results in a turnover, but he is a productive player. Gabriel has a wealth of playing experience from his 6 years of college ball. He has a quick release and is very accurate with the football on timing routes, which suits this offense. He is also a lefty like Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The downside is he doesn’t move around well outside the pocket, and he isn’t very big at 6′ 200 lbs, so that worries me that he is built like Tagovailoa, but he may be worth taking a flyer.

I think the Dolphins will and should take a quarterback, but I wouldn’t reach on any of these quarterbacks. This class is weak and full of guys that need time to develop. I don’t think any of these guys are day 1 starters, but they are guys with the right coaching who could develop well. The Dolphins are in a win-now mode, and it would be best not to take a quarterback high, especially with a class like this. Next year’s quarterback class is looking much better and more promising, but that’s next year.