Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan's roots are in Green Bay. A long-standing tradition for the Packers has been drafting a quarterback nearly every year. It has been described as a core tenet, due simply to the significance of the position. Whether you have your quarterback in tow or not, the disproportionate value of the quarterback position compared to every other position makes it smart business.
The Packers drafted Aaron Rodgers while they still had Brett Favre. They repeated history 15 years later when they took Jordan Love despite Rodgers still playing at a high level. In between, they've thrown countless late-round darts at the position with varying degrees of success. In any case, fans were excitedly combing through this draft class's late-round prospects, trying to unearth the next Miami Dolphin.
Alas, the Dolphins ignored the position entirely. Jon-Eric Sullivan addressed the situation immediately following the NFL Draft, stating in part:
"[Drafting a QB] came up a couple times throughout the course of the weekend. We felt like the better option was the other pick. Just a chance for a guy to get on the field and help us this year with where we are as a roster, but the conversation happened multiple times."
In the subsequent land rush for undrafted free agents, the Dolphins quickly added Iowa’s Mark Gronowski to the quarterback room.
The Miami Dolphins may have found something in former Iowa QB Mark Gronowski
The 24-year-old Gronowski spent five seasons at South Dakota State, leaving an indelible mark. Among his accolades are two-time FCS National Champion (winning MVP both times), the Walter Payton Award (the FCS Heisman), and two-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year. During his time with the Jackrabbits, he accumulated 10,309 yards, 93 TDs, 20 interceptions, and a 64% completion rate. He added 1,767 yards on the ground with another 37 TDs.
Ahead of the 2025 season, he opted to make the jump to FBS, joining the Iowa Hawkeyes via the transfer portal. In Iowa's run-centric offense, he put up middling stats, throwing for 1,741 yards, 10 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 63.4% completion. He fit right into the run game, however, piling up 545 yards and a whopping 16 touchdowns on the ground.
He made an impression on Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz in his lone season, with the longest-tenured coach of the FBS. stating:
"You evaluate quarterbacks by how they move their teams and if they’re winners or not. The other component is, ‘do the players on the team believe in that player?’ And the good quarterbacks I’ve been around, that’s what it is. I can’t say enough about Mark. We get here on the game field, and he’s a guy everybody believes in — coaches, players. Competes out there tooth and nail."
When it comes to undrafted quarterbacks, beggars can't be choosers. A tough, gritty quarterback with unique athletic traits is a fine consolation. Gronowski is considered diminutive for a quarterback at 6'2", but his Pro Day feats show promising athletic upside. Buoyed by his 4.71 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical jump, and 7.00-second three-cone, he garnered a 9.61 Relative Athletic Score (RAS). That ranks 45th among 1,128 quarterback prospects since 1987.
With player comparisons such as Robert Griffin III and former Green Bay Packers UDFA Taysom Hill, it's clear what the Dolphins are hoping to unearth. Gronowski will have plenty of opportunities in the coming months to wrangle a spot on the practice squad for the 2026 season.
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