By ALANIS THAMES
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Quinn Ewers didn’t count on to slide to the seventh spherical of the 2025 NFL draft. However when the Dolphins rookie quarterback placed on a Miami jersey for the primary time Friday, none of that mattered anymore.
Now, the work begins to show he’s prepared for the NFL.
Ewers, drafted 231st final month by Miami, is third on the Dolphins’ depth chart behind starter Tua Tagovailoa and free agent signing Zach Wilson. He was the final quarterback chosen within the draft; 13 others have been picked earlier than him. Whether or not it was due to issues about his consistency or damage historical past he doesn’t fairly know, however he admitted being ignored is a place he hasn’t been in too typically.
“I didn’t count on to fall as little as I did,” Ewers stated Friday because the Dolphins opened rookie minicamp. “It’s what it’s on the finish of the day, and I’ve the identical alternative that everyone else does, and I’m past grateful for that. I simply need to go in there and play my sport and be taught and develop as a quarterback.”
Ewers was the top-rated highschool quarterback within the nation when he signed with Ohio State and left faculty early to the be a part of the Buckeyes in 2021. After spending a season deep on Ohio State’s depth chart, Ewers transferred to Texas, the place was the starter by the 2022 season opener.
The Dolphins have been impressed by his expertise and the way he responded to strain in school. In three years because the Longhorns’ starter, Ewers led Texas to a Massive 12 championship and twice to the Faculty Soccer Playoff. He handed for 9,128 yards and 68 touchdowns in a profession rivaled by few different quarterbacks which have gone by way of this system.
However he was hindered by varied accidents, together with an stomach pressure that sidelined him for a pair video games this previous season. That allowed the Longhorns to get two begins from Arch Manning — the extremely touted son of Cooper Manning who Texas followers have been desperate to see in motion regardless of Ewers’ success.
“We talked to teach (Steve) Sarkisian about him and ‘Sark’ actually likes and was excessive (on him),” normal supervisor Chris Grier stated in the course of the draft. “(He) talked about his toughness, his psychological toughness, the pushing by way of with the damage, the expectations, all of the strain with (Arch) Manning there coming in. He liked his competitiveness and the way he performs, and the way his teammates reply to him.”
Ewers stated his rapid NFL objective is to be taught Mike McDaniel’s advanced playbook and discover methods to face out. The management the Dolphins noticed in him in school, he stated, will go a good distance.
“Proper now it’s my duty to guide all these rookies,” Ewers stated. “It’s my alternative to go get seen on the finish of the day. And I’m going to attempt to go try this.”
Backup quarterback is a crucial place in Miami. Tagovailoa has missed a minimum of one sport in all however one in all his 5 NFL seasons. The Dolphins used three completely different quarterbacks final season after accidents restricted Tagovailoa to only 11 begins — his fewest since beginning 9 video games his rookie season.
Grier wasted little time in free company addressing Miami’s want for a backup, signing Wilson to a one-year deal in March. Wilson, the New York Jets’ No. 2 general decide in 2021, hopes to earn a beginning function in some unspecified time in the future.
Ewers will probably be aiming for a similar.
“There’s a variety of guys on the market proper now, and everybody’s preventing for a similar job,” Ewers stated. “And we’re all aggressive, however it’s cool on the similar time simply because on the finish of the day a few of these guys are going to finish up being teammates with us. However you’ve bought to earn the job and earn the belief of these guys as nicely.”
Initially Printed: