The Miami Dolphins entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a plethora of holes to fill on their roster. They were not, however, one of the several teams in need of drafting a quarterback hoping for that next face of the franchise. With Tua Tagovailoa in tow and signed to a mega contract, he’s the Dolphins’ guy and will be for the foreseeable future as long as he can stay healthy.
But, that doesn’t mean you can’t take a flyer on a quarterback in the draft. And, that’s exactly what the Dolphins did when they drafted Texas QB Quinn Ewers. There were some experts that had him going as high as the second or third round, so why not take a flyer on him in the 7th round? The Dolphins did and good quarterbacks are so hard to find, that it’s worth using a late-round pick to see what happens. Your other options that late in the draft are undersized guards with short arms and a questionable motor.
What they’re saying about Ewers
Ewers has some interesting draft profiles. While just about every player has some negatives, Ewers seems to have enough upside to be intriguing.
From NFL.com:
“Ewers’ arm talent and game flashes are enticing, but he hasn’t learned to play the game with a high enough level of consistency. The tape of road wins over Alabama and Michigan over the last two seasons showed the clearest picture of Ewers’ ceiling. He spins it with a sudden release and good touch over the first two levels and makes it look easy when he finds a rhythm. He won a high percentage of his career starts but struggled to put points on the board in most big games in 2024. Ewers rarely operates as a smooth, full-field reader. He often predetermines his target and throws into coverage instead of taking what the defense is offering. A lack of escapability will require him to process quickly enough to stay ahead of NFL blitz packages. The raw talent and upside will be alluring for pro-style passing attacks, but it’s fair to wonder if he will ever be able to rise above the talent on his roster and the ability of his play-caller to create favorable terms.”
Dave Richard of CBS Sports says Ewers was raising eyebrows all the way back to high school:
“By the time he started as a sophomore, word was already out on just how talented Ewers was. But a core injury sidelined him for six games as a junior, and Ewers finished in sixth place in the 2021 Elite 11 competition during his offseason. None of that mattered — he was deemed the No. 1 overall prospect by 247Sports and could punch his ticket to any school he wanted.
“As such, Ewers skipped his senior season of high school, reclassified as part of the class of 2021 and enrolled in college to take advantage of lucrative Name, Image and Likeness deals, including some reportedly worth $1.5 million, an unheard of number for players who hadn’t played any college ball.”
Should Ewers have stayed at Texas?
Oh boy, NIL money. According to Mike Florio of Profootballtalk.com, Ewers was offered $8 million to stay in school and transfer. That’s not even close to what his first NFL salary (including guarantees) will look like. After dropping to the 7th round, some are wondering if he should have just stayed put for another year and then entered the 2026 NFL Draft.
“Via Chip Brown of Horns247, another school offered Ewers $8 million to transfer. Per Brown, Ewers made roughly $6 million in NIL money over the past three years with the Longhorns.
“For Ewers, however, it was Texas or the NFL. He wasn’t going to play at another program.
“Texas was the only place he wanted to play college football,” Ewers’s high school coach, Riley Dodge, told Brown. “He wanted to leave Texas in good standing.”
“He could have left college football with his bank account in even better standing. Still, if he ends up playing well in the NFL, he’ll be one year closer to a second contract, if he starts now. Also, it’s not as if this year’s quarterback class is chock full of superstars.”
That’s a tough decision for anyone to make, but $8 million for a year in college? He may have been better off sitting tight, but if he shines at the pro level, that $8 million will look like pocket change at some point.
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