The quarterback carousel has been crazier than ever this offseason. First, Andrew Luck unseats Peyton Manning as the signal caller of the Indianapolis Colts. Then, the Redskins offer up a king's ransom to the Rams in order to move up to the No.2 overall selection, conceivably to draft Robert Griffin III. Now, the Manning sweepstakes is about to come to a close, with the runner up likely being stuck with the lesser Matt Flynn.
2012 NFL Draft: Miami Dolphins’ quarterback decision could shake things up
But that could still leave a few quarterback hungry teams out of the mix. And those teams that miss out on Flynn will be left with an even lesser prize, the third best quarterback in the 2012 NFL Draft. While it's far from a consensus, and I don't view him as a first round pick, Ryan Tannehill is being touted as the next best quarterback after RG3. The drop-off is substantial, though.
Of the quarterback needy teams, Cleveland and Miami pick in the top five of April's draft. By all accounts, Miami's No. 8 selection is the earliest Tannehill should come off the board, though the Browns have been foolish before. If Miami gets left out of the free agent frenzy at quarterback, it could have big implications on the draft.
Everyone knows the Dolphins are desperate for a franchise quarterback. They have been players in the Manning sweepstakes and been pegged as a potential landing spot for Matt Flynn and Ryan Tannehill as well. Thus, quarterback-hungry squads drafting behind the Dolphin's in April are going to have a pretty good idea whether the Texas A&M signal caller will be on their radar. That makes for a perfect trade up scenario, if in fact other teams are interested in acquiring Ryan Tannehill.
The value of quarterbacks is always skyrocketing leading up to the draft, and this year should be no different. That means that the St. Louis Rams at No. 6 and the Jacksonville Jaguars at No.7 may actually be able to slide down in the draft if a team is desperate to the jump the Dolphins, thus causing mass caos in Radio City Music Hall.
If the Dolphins land one of the coveted free agents, this all goes right out the window. But if and when they miss out, Miami could feel pressured to address a somewhat desperate need at quarterback. It would undoubtedly be a reach, but Tannehill could be the target at No. 8.
This all hinges on an overall interest in Ryan Tannehill league-wide, which is no guarantee, either.
In 12 hours, I think we will have a much clearer picture of how things are shaking out. And for those wondering, this is why I have waited until after free agency to do my next mock draft. The next few days are going to have an enormous impact on the entire draft. Right now, Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are locked in at numbers one and two. Beyond that, the draft is filled with uncertainty until the free agent frenzy comes to a close.
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