Tua is the right fit for Dolphins, not an NFL Draft pick | Schad
When 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan had the opportunity to choose his own quarterback, he tried to upgrade from Jimmy Garoppolo, trading a slew of picks to move up to No. 3.
But trading all those picks wasn't the biggest mistake.
Drafting Trey Lance was.
Shanahan had seen Garoppolo, with all his accuracy and handsomeness, lead San Francisco to a Super Bowl. But he wanted more. And he was totally transparent about it.
The ideal quarterback for his offense, Shanahan literally said, would have an "elite arm" and can "run around and make off-schedule plays" like Patrick Mahomes.
Man, Lance looked the part in limited North Dakota State film.
But Lance couldn't play the part of NFL starting quarterback, and quickly fizzled.
Sometimes what's right under your nose, or right in your huddle, should be appreciated.
Sometimes what's right in your quarterback room is quite good enough.
No, the Dolphins should not draft quarterback Michael Penix at No. 21, as Fox college football and NFL draft analyst Joel Klatt strongly suggested this week.
Klatt believes that the fact that Miami has not yet closed on a new contract with Tua Tagovailoa is telling.
It's not. These things take time.
Klatt believes Mike McDaniel's scheme is "not the right offense for him."
Tua Tagovailoa right fit for Dolphins offense
OK, except, what about the part where Tua is an AFC Pro Bowl starter, and leads the NFL in passing yards in 2023 and passer rating in 2022?
Even the most ardent Tua doubter would have to agree he fits just fine in this offense.
As offensive coordinator Frank Smith has outlined on multiple occasions, Tua's "superpowers" are 1) anticipation, 2) timing, 3) vision and 4) accuracy.
Those things, it turns out, are the things that matter most when it comes to NFL quarterback play. There is only one Patrick Mahomes.
If every NFL team were to continue to try to find the next Patrick Mahomes, they'll be searching for a long, long time.
The truth is, you don't need Mahomes to get to, or win, a Super Bowl.
Brock Purdy just led those same 49ers to another Super Bowl. And he was the last pick of his NFL draft class. And no, he doesn't have a huge arm, either.
And yet, who were first and second in the NFL in air yards per attempt in 2023?
Purdy and Tua.
So, it appears they do have some success throwing the ball down the field.
Tua Tagovailoa completes plenty of downfield passes
This is not just bubble screens and slants.
"When you watch Miami, and what they really do, what they need is a guy that throws on time, with great leverage, and accuracy down the field," Klatt said.
It is true that Tua does not have a cannon arm. It is true that he is not quite as consistent on downfield throws as short- and mid-range throws.
This is the case, it turns out, with most quarterbacks.
Lower-percentage throws are completed at a lower percentage.
"As good as Tua has played, and he has, he's gotten so much better, this is probably not the right fit," Klatt said. "Every time you look up and you watch the highlights, Tyreek Hill is having to stop, and reach back, and catch."
Hill has averaged 1,755 receiving yards in two seasons with Tua.
Hill averaged 1,105 yards in six seasons with Mahomes.
We think the duo of Tua and Hill is working just fine.
This is not to suggest that Penix, of Washington, also a lefty, won't have a good NFL career.
Who knows. Most first-round quarterbacks selected do not pan out.
No matter how you think Tua's skill set and strengths compare or don't to classmates Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert, Tua has panned out.
"It’s really, really, really hard to play the quarterback position at the level that he plays it at," McDaniel said of Tua in late December.
Would McDaniel like to see Tua extend some more plays in 2024?
Yes. It turns out Tua has shown in the past he's capable of that.
Tua also, according to his personal trainer Nick Hicks, plans to focus on speed and agility this offseason, shedding what Hicks called some "extra weight" added last year by design.
The Dolphins don't need to do what the Patriots and Bears, for example, have already done this offseason, moving off of first-rounders Mac Jones and Justin Fields.
Those teams will benefit from resetting with rookie quarterback contracts.
But they'll also hope only to draft quarterbacks as productive as Tua has been.
Could Miami have, for example, re-signed defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt, if they planned to start over with a rookie quarterback in 2024 or 2025?
Well, yeah, but having the franchise quarterback in place is far more important.
Remember Tank for... oh, you know.
There is every reason to believe Tua — if he stays healthy, and, it should be noted, Penix has an injury history, too —will continue to improve and master McDaniel's offense.
Yeah, so, OK, Dolphins have QB-friendly offense
Is it true that more than a few quarterbacks would excel in the Miami and San Francisco offenses? Well, yeah, but nobody needs to apologize for that.
Not McDaniel or Shanahan or Tua or Purdy.
Trey Lance certainly didn't excel.
Miami has plenty of needs — it doesn't help they've lost recent first- and third-round picks for tampering — and so the 21st pick cannot be used on a quarterback.
A guard, tackle or wide receiver?
Sure. If they're the right fit to help Tua flourish even further.
The Dolphins don't need to add Penix to this mix.
They've got Tua, the quarterback who fits Miami well.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Tua Tagoavailoa is Miami Dolphins future not Joel Klatt NFL Draft Pick
