Great Expectations

And with the first pick of the 2012 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Ryan Tannehill, quarterback, Texas A & M.

OK, we're not going to hear that from Mr. Commish Roger Goddell, but the way teams are fawning over the Aggie signal caller you would think it might just happen. With the addition of Tannehill to the top of the draft along with Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, it is going to be a heavily scrutinized draft. The great expectations on all three will by far surpass that of 1999, when Tim Couch, Donovan McNabb and Akili Smith went 1-2-3 and harken back to the days of 1971, when Jim Plunkett, Archie Manning and Dan Pastorini were the first three names off the board.

There is a strong possibility that Miami may just trade up to #3 and get the pick currently held by Minnesota so they can take Tannehill. The Washington Redskins have already mortgaged a good bit of their future to move up to the second pick, and the Dolphins will have to do the same if they want to insure that Tannehill is their man. The question is 'Will he be worth it?' In both cases, I believe it will be.

Griffin is a rare talent, and proved it during his final year at Baylor. Physically gifted and even more so intellectually, Griffin and Luck will be competing for not only titles but the hearts and minds of football fans for years to come. Tannehill is more of a project, but Miami is the best landing point for him. His college coach is the offensive coordinator, and the new head coach runs a system that suits his talents. He has a veteran in Matt Moore already on the roster who is capable of holding the fort until it is time for Tannehill to take over.

But once again, great expectations may get in the way. It is the expectations of Dolphins fans looking for a quarterback to take over for Dan Marino. They have been waiting for 13 years. Now they have to wait 12 more days to see if their Dolphins either make the move up to #3 or have Tannehill fall to them at #8. If they are lucky, they won't have to sell the farm to get him. We shall see.