Miami Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel sees an advantage hidden in plain sight.
During the 2025 NFL Draft, the Dolphins, with the 231st pick, went ahead and snagged Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.
Ewers, who, at one time, was considered a first-round pick in his early college career, slid all the way to day three of the draft, sparking surprise in many.
The Dolphins, however, were ready to make the pick with HC Mike McDaniel believing that Ewers had an advantage worth exploring.
A 7th Round Steal?
After a brief stint with the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2021, Ewers transferred to Texas and stepped into a starting role. Ewers helped guide the Longhorns to a playoff appearance in 2024, winning the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl and shortly afterward, announced he would be entering the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ewers was projected to go in the third, fourth or fifth round of the draft, with analysts praising his arm talent and in-game flashes of intriguing talent. NFL Network Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Ewers ranked inside his 150 best prospects at 119th.
However, a “projected” draft outcome doesn’t always go to plan.
Instead, Ewers fell all the way to the seventh round, which was clearly outside his projection range.
Ewers’ agent, Ron Slavin, told ESPN’s Todd Archer for his article, that he contacted “half the league” to better understand why Ewers dropped so far in the draft.
“They thought he was a third or fourth-round pick, but too big of a name to be a clipboard holder,” Slavin said. “Which I think is chickens–t”.
Among all the discourse of Ewers and his draft outcome, Ewers remained positive and excited about joining his new organization.
“I just didn’t know what was going on. “It was very unexpected”, said Ewers in Todd Archer’s ESPN article, “But I’m glad I ended up where I ended up, to go as late as I did. I’m glad it’s a good spot.”
The “Advantage”
On the field, Ewers had more than a few ideal traits and, for McDaniel, Ewers’ ability to thrive within the Dolphins’ offensive scheme was the biggest advantage of all.
After all, Ewers has already established experience in operating an offensive scheme similar to that of the offense McDaniel operates in Miami.
“That is beneficial because you can evaluate a lot of nuances that you typically have to forecast,” McDaniel said in a post-draft interview with miamidolphins.com, “I think that’s one of the things that gives him an advantage as a rookie, just getting started, is that overlap”.
Ewers is comfortable in the pocket, can make tight-window throws and isn’t afraid to take shots down the field. A skill set that McDaniel has coveted in all his quarterbacks.
“I think the way that he orchestrates the offense from the motion timing and really anticipating things, there’s a fit there, so we’re excited to get him in the program and start working,” McDaniel said.
It is clear that McDaniel, and the Dolphins brass, are willing to bet on Ewers and the advantage he brings to the table.
Ewers has something that is more intangible, a mental edge that has already gone through adversity in a system similar to the one he is about to be part of.
Time will tell if it pays off, but in Miami, the belief is already there.
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