RYAN TANNEHILL SCOUTING REPORT...FAIRY TALE OR CAUTIONARY TALE? WHO WILL DECIDE?

STRENGTHS:

-Great arm strength, Tannehill can make every NFL throw with ease, puts tremendous zip on the out route.

-Tremendous athleticism, began his career as a wide receiver and a productive one at that. Tannehill does an outstanding job of escaping the rush and extending plays turning nothing into something with either his feet alone or his feet and arm.

-He's a great leader whom his teammates seemed to gravitate toward at College Station. He's charismatic, has what many describe as the "It" factor.

-Great size at just over 6'4 and 220 plus pounds, will be able to take NFL caliber shots and maybe even deliver some himself in the running game.

-Very intelligent, while he is still in need of big time refinement and coaching as an inexperienced quarterback, he does have the natural IQ to make the necessary improvements mentally for the position.

-Despite the need for many cleanups to his fundamentals, one thing he does do well is drop back from under center, a lost art in today's shotgun happy college game. Takes a nice big first stride and uses his nimble feet to get back and get set very quickly no matter if it's a three, five or seven step drop.

-Has great natural confidence and the ability to shake off mistakes without allowing them to snowball and affect him for the rest of the game.

Weaknesses:

-Very raw as a quarterback, only played the position for one full season in college and at times it showed against top-flight competition. Struggled reading more complex defensive systems and made some critical mistakes against them.

-Despite having an NFL coach in Mike Sherman, Tannehill was at times a terrible decision maker, forcing far too many throws at critical times which helped lead to losing four double digit leads in the 2nd half.

-Too slow of a release....only Tannehills tremendous arm strength prevented him from throwing even more than the 15 INTs he threw last season.

-In need of big time coaching to clean up his fundamentals not just mentally but physically. Telegraphs his passes way too much to be successful right away at the next level.... Holds the ball too low in his drop and then not only has to raise it up but has a tendency to tap the ball with his off hand... and then **** ...and then release it....all the while too often locking in on only one receiver. Until Tannehill goes through some big time NFL quarterback schooling, defensive backs are going to be licking there chops when he comes into the game at the idea of their upcoming Sportscenter pick-six moments.

-Ball security has been an issue at times, not just the interceptions, but taking care of the ball while it's in his hands. That's something that should improve though as he learns to hold the ball higher and closer to his body on his drop.

Summary: Tannehill is THE boom or bust quarterback of this draft crop. His success depends almost solely upon the team that drafts him, the people they have in place to coach him, and whether or not he is rushed into action before he's ready. If Tannehill starts at all next season it could spell disaster for both his team in the short term, and ultimately his own career in the long term. He is simply not ready to be successful against NFL defenses, their complex schemes, and their elite athletes. Ryan will need every bit of that confidence and charisma for his psyche to survive if he is put into action too fast. Tannehill's natural gifts are not just intriguing, they are special, they are elite, but they are also not even close to realizing their true potential. Many an NFL coach and GM has lost their jobs because of players like Tannehill who are labeled with terms such as "potential" and "upside". Tannehill has the gifts to be drafted in the first round, and he undoubtedly will be, which means there's about a 95% chance he will end up on a struggling team (The Packers Brett Favre/Aaron Rodgers situation was much more of the exception than the rule.). It's critical that the team that drafts him doesn't have fans or more importantly ownership that demands to see him on the field before he's ready, and it's important that when inevitably that pressure does come, that the coaching staff feels secure enough to do the right thing and bring Tannehill along as slowly as he needs to be. Ryan Tannehill has all the tools to be a star, the raw package is there and if he ends up in the right situation, he has the potential to be one of the very best in the game, but if he ends up in the wrong situation he could have a very short and very ugly tenure in the National Football League. Hopefully for football fans everywhere, and in particular the city that drafts him, the tale of Ryan Tannehill will not be a cautionary one.