Dolphins Showing Interest in Tannehill

Jeff Ireland will attend workouts for Tannehill and Brock Osweiler

The Miami Dolphins are not finished trying to upgrade at quarterback. Though they struck out on the two free agents most Dolfans wanted to see in aqua and white - Peyton Manning and Matt Flynn - next month's NFL Draft might give the team an opportunity to acquire its quarterback of the future.

The Miami Herald reported Wednesday night that Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland will attend workouts for quarterbacks Ryan Tannehill (formerly of Texas A&M) and Brock Osweiler (of Arizona State) in the next few days.

Tannehill has quickly become a potential top ten pick following a senior season in which he threw for 3,744 yards with 29 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. It was his first full season as a starter. NFL observers think he could be Miami's selection with the eighth pick in the draft, provided the Cleveland Browns do not grab him first.

"If Cleveland doesn’t take him at four, I have to believe Miami does at eight," Mike Mayock of the NFL Network told the Herald.

Tannehill does come with caveats. Though he praised his "big arm," Mayock warned, "He's not ready yet. He still has a lot to learn."

Osweiler, on the other hand, is not expected to go in the first round, but could be a possibility in the second round. He threw for 4,036 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

Like Tannehill, Osweiler is far from a sure thing. Greg Cosell of NFL Films told Yahoo! Sports this week that Osweiler has questionable throwing mechanics and is not terribly accurate.

Apart from Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III (who will be selected in the top two picks of the draft), there are no quarterbacks in the draft who can start on Week 1 of the regular season. So Miami will still have to start either Matt Moore or David Garrard in 2012. Drafting a quarterback in April will not excite the fan base the way a Manning or Flynn signing would have, but it will have to do for now.

If the Dolphins are lucky, they might unearth the next Marino. If not, Dolfans might have another Chad Henne on their hands.

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