Phins to Draft a QB?

The Legendary GM Ron Wolf, who helped draft hall of fame players such as Art Shell, Gene Upshaw, Ken Stabler, Howie Long and Marcus Allen, and trade for Brett Favre, had a philosophy of always drafting a QB each year. Its a great philosophy when you consider that QB is probably the most important position in all of sports, and if a team does not have a franchise caliber QB, then they will most likely be missing the playoffs each year until they do find one. Look at New England, they have Tom Brady an eventual Hall of Fame QB, and they still draft QB’s. Its always good to bring in young, hungry and cheap competition, and even if the QB is not going to start for a few years, he can always sit on the bench and learn.

There has been a lot of talk at Miami headquarters about how the Dolphins are going to draft a QB this year. It is not because they do not believe in Tannehill, but because they want some young competition, and also a possible insurance policy if Tannehill regresses this season. There is a good chance that one of the top rated QB’s,  such as Teddy Bridgewater or Johnny Manziel will be on the board in the first round, however with too many other positions to address, this would be an unwise decision. The more likely scenario is the Phins drafting a QB in the 5^th round. One such player that the Dolphins have had in for a private workout, and whom they are said to be impressed with is Georgia’s QB Aaron Murray.

Murray was a 4 year starter in the best conference in college football, so most football gambling fans would say that he is probably the most battle tested QB in the entire draft. One thing that has hurt his draft stock is that he tore his ACL late last season, but this should be a non-issue because he will have plenty of time to heal, since he will not be a starting QB next year. Last year he passed for 3,075 yards, 26 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, completed 65% of his throws, and also ran for 7 touchdowns and 186 yards. His best game of the year was against an excellent Auburn team, where he led a nail-biting 4^th quarter comeback with 2 rushing touchdowns, that just missed stealing the win from the Tigers. The biggest knock on Murray is his limited height of 6’0”, but as Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have shown, as long as you have the skills, then the lack of height is a non-issue.

Murray was once a top NFL QB prospect, but a sub-par senior year, with a depleted supporting cast on offense, and a late injury has severely hurt his draft stock. Murray has a quality arm, and has flashes of being a good game manager. Most football gambling fans are projecting him to be drafted between the 3^rd and 5^th round. If he is somehow on the board in the 5^th round when the Dolphins are on the clock, it might be wise to use the Ron Wolf philosophy, and draft him.