2012 Draft Rewind: Would Russell Wilson Make A Difference?
By Brian Miller
In 2012 the Miami Dolphins selected Ryan Tannehill number eight overall in that years draft. Two rounds later the Seattle Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson. Wilson is heading to his 2nd consecutive Super Bowl while the Dolphins still don’t know if Tannehill is indeed the franchises future.
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The Dolphins young quarterback took huge strides in 2014 but there is still a lot of work to do and until other aspects of the offense are fixed, namely the offensive line, we may not know what kind of quarterback Tannehill can be. Oddly enough the Dolphins tried to fix the line problem in that same draft.
Everything it 2012 gets interesting but you have to redraw more than just the draft. You have to fall back a bit further when Jeff Ireland and Stephen Ross were interviewing coaching candidates to replace Tony Sparano. According to a report today out of Phoenix, via Profootballtalk.com, the Dolphins may have been taken in a completely different direction. One that would have involved Russell Wilson.
At the time of the Dolphins search for a new head coach, Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema was being interviewed for the job in Miami. Bielema told Stephen Ross that he would take his team to the Super Bowl within five seasons but then threw a wrench into the mix when he told them he wanted his former college QB Russell Wilson in the 2nd round.
"“They all looked at me like, ‘You can’t say that,’” Bielema said, via ESPN.com. “That’s the difference between college and pro. He’s undersized. He can’t throw.’ I was like, ‘OK, all right,’ and I honestly, that day, kind of pulled myself out of it.”"
There is no assurance that had Bielema not said what he did that he would be the Dolphins head coach. It would have been a long shot regardless but kudos to Bielema for sticking to what he felt was the right thing to do.
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The Dolphins had three draft picks in the first two rounds of that draft. They selected Ryan Tannehill at number eight overall and Olivier Vernon with their 2nd pick in round two. They spent their first pick in round two on offensive tackle Jonathan Martin. Imagine the change that could have come from not taking Martin?
Truthfully there is no need to get uptight over what if’s and could have beens. Russell Wilson very well may have become every bit of the undersized quarterback everyone expected him to be had he been drafted to a Dolphins team that lacked a front line to block for him. What makes it hard is seeing Wilson take the Seahawks to two Super Bowls. Of course had 29 other teams decided to take Tom Brady before the Patriots did, history may have been re-written as well.
In all every team but two passed on Wilson at least once. The Dolphins passed on him twice but once they selected Ryan Tannehill, there was no way they were looking at another quarterback.
It only matters because of all the players selected Wilson has indeed become the 2nd best quarterback of that draft but unlike the best quarterback, Andrew Luck, he could have two rings to say he is the best.