Dolphins Quarterback Draft History: The Hits, Misses and Trends

The Miami Dolphins have selected 30 quarterbacks in their history, from Bob Griese to Skylar Thompson

Tua Tagovailoa / Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

As we head into the homestretch to the 2024 NFL draft, it's a good time to revisit the Miami Dolphins draft history at every position.

In this draft series, we'll break down each position with number of picks since the start of the "common draft" in 1967, first-round selections, hits and misses, and any trends that might apply.

We start with the quarterback position:

DOLPHINS QUARTERBACK DRAFT HISTORY

Number of picks: 30

Last five picks: Skylar Thompson, Round 7, 2022; Tua Tagovailoa, Round 1, 2020; Brandon Doughty, Round 7, 2016; Ryan Tannehill, Round 1, 2012; Pat White, Round 2, 2009

Number of first-round picks: 4 (Bob Griese, 1967; Dan Marino, 1983; Ryan Tannehill; Tua Tagovailoa)

Hits: Griese, Don Strock (Round 5, 1973), Marino

Misses: Guy Benjamin (Round 2, 1978), John Beck (Round 2, 2007), Pat White (Round 2, 2009), Tannehill

Trends: The Dolphins haven't bothered drafting quarterbacks very often as a franchise, though that was more understandable when they had Griese or Marino running the offense. But they clearly took the approach over the past decade or so to stick with the quarterback they draft early, with Tannehill and Tagovailoa. In the 24 drafts since the start of the new millennium, the Dolphins have drafted only eight quarterbacks and only three after the second round (Josh Heupel in Round 6 in 2001, Doughty and Thompson).

HOW THE DOLPHINS HAVE DONE DRAFTING QUARTERBACKS

The Dolphins got off to a great start as a franchise when it comes to drafting quarterbacks because Griese and Marino took care of the quarterback position for about 30 years and both of them ended up in the Hall of Fame.

Things clearly haven’t gone as smoothly since then.

While Tagovailoa certainly has produced good results the past two seasons — NFL passer rating leader in 2022, NFL passing yardage leader and Pro Bowl starter in 2023 — he can’t yet go in the “hit” category because he was the fifth overall selection and because he hasn’t proven yet he can consistently elevate his game at key moments in a season or a game.

Let’s face it, if Tagovailoa was a slam-dunk franchise quarterback at this point — and we’re not suggesting it can’t happen in the future — the Dolphins probably already would have signed him to a second contract.

Tannehill was a serviceable starter for the Dolphins, but he certainly never looked like a franchise quarterback and that's what any team should expect from an eighth overall pick. And then the problem was compounded by the Dolphins never drafting anybody to provide competition.

And, yes, we called Tannehill a draft miss because his production for the Dolphins was nowhere near the value of an eighth overall pick. His career resurgency with the Tennessee Titans after he was traded during the 2019 offseason doesn’t make the pick any better from a Miami standpoint.

Sticking with Tannehill too long was almost as bad as spending a second-round pick on a quarterback three consecutive years from 2007-09 and five in a six-year span if we include the 2004 and 2005 trades for A.J. Feeley and Daunte Culpepper, respectively.