Ht: 6-4 Wt: 221 40: 4.65
Strengths: Good size for an NFL QB. Very athletic; has great running skills, elusive and dangerous with the football in his hands. Good arm; has good touch and zip. Has pretty good anticipation on his throws. He keeps his eyes downfield when being chased; able to extend plays with his feet. Able to throw well on the run. Has pretty good overall accuracy; able to hit his receivers in stride. Keeps his calm under pressure and is able to get off pretty good throws. Good footwork. Knows hot reads when blitzed. Able to read coverage in the defense and occasionally changes the play to something he feels is a better play for the defense. I've seen him draw out the snap to try to force the defense to show their blitz or coverage. Very smart. Good character; switched positions to WR to help the team out, then went back to QB. Good overall football player. Tons of potential. Showed great improvement from 2010 season to 2011 season.
Weaknesses: I would like him to sit for a year and continue to learn and improve. Decision making needs to be better; I saw a lot of ugly picks where the ball never should have been thrown. He forces a lot of throws. Accuracy is good overall but his deep ball accuracy will need improvement. He sometimes stares down receivers. He had a foot injury this past season. He is inexperienced at the QB position; only 19 starts.
Summary: Ryan Tannehill is a QB who has a lot of potential. There is a lot to like about this young man. He has a pretty good arm and accuracy; he can make all the NFL throws. When I watch him run the offense, I can tell he completely understands what he is looking for and trying to do. He is extremely athletic and elusive when running with the football and that is something that defenses will have to respect. His decision making and inexperience really would concern me if I was drafting him for my team. I would sit him for a year to help him learn and improve. Tannehill showed great improvement from starting at QB in 2010 to 2011. I would have a lot of confidence that he would continue to learn and improve behind a veteran QB for a year in the NFL. Tannehill's got talent, passion for the game and potential that will make him a top 15 pick and maybe even a top 10 pick.
Draft Projection: Top 15
