NFL draft: Which team should take QB Ryan Tannehill? [Poll]
There are two elite quarterbacks in this week’s NFL draft -- Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Baylor’s Robert Griffin -- and they will be claimed by Indianapolis and Washington at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. With more than one team still in the market for a franchise quarterback, attention will turn to Texas A&M’s Ryan Tannehill, who seems to have become the consensus third-best QB in this year’s class.
Tannehill played receiver for his first two years with the Aggies before becoming starting quarterback midway through his junior season. He finished his career with 5,450 passing yards, 42 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.
In other years Tannehill might not be considered a top-10 draft pick, but he should benefit from the fact that, in addition to the Colts and Redskins, two other teams with high picks -- the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 and Miami Dolphins at No. 8 -- have dire needs at quarterback.
Most mock drafts have Tannehill going to the Dolphins, primarily for two reasons: 1) the same mock drafts have Cleveland taking Alabama running back Trent Richardson at No. 4, then going after another quarterback, such as Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden, with their pick at No. 22; and 2) Tannehill’s college coach, Mike Sherman, is now the Dolphins’ offensive coordinator.
But The Times’ Sam Farmer reports that Browns President Mike Holmgrem is also a Tannehill fan, and he has first dibs. Also, according to Farmer, the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 15 have shown some interest in the Aggies quarterback.
Based on the mad scramble for former free agent quarterbacks, such as Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn, this off-season, several other teams may not be entirely satisfied with their own quarterback situations. And we might as well throw in the New York Jets -- there’s always room for one more potential starting quarterback, right?
Who do you think should take Tannehill? Vote in the poll, then leave a comment letting us know why you voted the way you did.
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