Just one day before the draft, pundits are as confused about senior quarterback Ryan Tannehill as ever.
The man will go down in Aggie lore not only for his passing prowess, but also for the speed and precision with which he ran his routes back during his days as a wide receiver. After being converted from a pass catcher, Tannehill registered 19 starts behind center, and this versatility has become a polarizing topic among NFL circles.
Can a player with less than 20 college starts under his belt handle the rigors of the NFL? If he couldnt even win his own starting quarterback job until his junior year, is he really worth building a franchise around as a top-10 pick?
Pat Dye, the gunslingers agent, said that what Tannehill lacks in film footage is made up for by his prototypical measurables.
His height, weight, speed, arm strength, is tops, Dye said. Then you throw in the intangibles that are off the charts: the character, the work ethic, the intelligence, his ability to talk football and translate it on the boards.
Tannehills ride up the draft charts has been an unorthodox one. After throwing for 3,744 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final season in Aggieland, he was considered a late first-round selection. He then sustained a foot injury, which kept him out of the Senior Bowl and other showcases, but wowed teams enough with his tape and interviewing skills that he continued inching toward the top of the board. Now, hes considered one of this years premier talents and will most likely be selected among the top-10 picks.
To come back from having surgery and having a screw inserted in his foot, to come back and work out the way he has at his pro day and his private workouts, I think is really remarkable, Dye said. Hes held up physically and mentally. Now I think hes just probably ready, like everybody else is, to find out where hes going to be.
Tannehill has drawn significant interest from the Cleveland Browns, who pick in the No. 4 slot, and the Miami Dolphins, who will make the No. 8 selection with the help of new offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, Tannehills coach while at Texas A&M.
If its Cleveland, hell be thrilled to go there, Dye said. If its Miami, hell be thrilled to go there. If its Kansas City at 11, hell be thrilled to go there, and likewise with Seattle at 12. I think hes thrilled to be discussed in the top half of the first round. Its an exciting time, yet its a stressful time, because you just dont know, and anything you hear from a team right now youve just got to take with a grain of salt.
Senior receiver Ryan Swope said hes excited for his former quarterback and knows that, more than anything else, he wants the process to finalize so he can begin preparing to become the face of the franchise that selects him.
I actually talked to him today and I think hes very ready to get this going, and I cant wait for him, Swope said. He did some great things while he was here. I have a great connection with Ryan and hope for the best for him.
Junior political science major Ryan Funderberg said he thinks Tannehill will pull a page from LeBron James book and take his talents to South Beach.
Miami just makes the most sense, Funderberg said. The offense he ran with Sherman here at A&M was a pro-style scheme, and itd be much easier to transition there than in Cleveland or anywhere else.
Rarely has there been such contentious national debate on an NFL prospect, but that may be because theres never been a prospect quite like Ryan Tannehill.
For a guy that only has 19 starts to be discussed in the top-10 picks when youve got two guys as talented as Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III already in the draft, and presumably being taken one and two off the board, its rare to have a talent like either one of those guys, much less two of them, much less three of them with Ryan thrown in the mix, Dye said. Its a unique situation and were all anxious to see where its going to work out.