This Little Known Quarterback Could Be the Dolphins' Future

Ryan Tannehill's seven-year saga is finally behind the Miami Dolphins, and Ryan Fitzpatrick has signed a two-year deal to act as a bridge to the future. Now the search begins for the next great Dolphins quarterback. The consensus seems to be Miami will endure a horrific 2019 in the hope of a top draft pick that will net a top prospect in 2020.

The plan sounds great. But the Dolphins should also in invest a mid-round quarterback in this April's draft: North Dakota State's Easton Stick, the man who took over at NDSU from former number-two overall draft pick and Eagles starter Carson Wentz in 2015.


In Stick — the Walter Payton Award (top player in the Football Championship Subdivision) winner, three-year captain, and first-team Associated Press All-American — the Dolphins would be gambling on an intriguing prospect while awaiting a more sure-fire guy in 2020. They'd be proactive, instead of reactive, for once.

Picking Stick would provide options. The team might decide he could fill the job in the future, or flip him for much more than they invested, as teams such as the Patriots often do. It's a solid risk-reward scenario.

The six-foot two-inch, 212-pound Stick may not be a household name for Dolphins fans, but he will likely require only a fifth- to seventh-round pick. Stick ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at the combine and isn't regarded as highly as some quarterbacks in the draft, such as Oklahoma's Kyler Murray. NFL Films' Greg Cosell made the less-than-exciting comparison of Stick to a smaller version of Redskins QB Alex Smith.

Stick isn't known for having the biggest arm, either. But what is impressing a lot of Dolphins fans and creating some buzz are two tapes: one he put together at North Dakota State and another for the predraft combine.

Here's a clip of Stick recollecting some random plays on the spot when asked by a reporter last week:

Really want to thank 2019 NFL Draft QB prospect Easton Stick for taking the time to talk today. Full podcast is posted and linked below, but here’s a snippet. ???? ????

Subscribe: https://t.co/yR2PymQQJH pic.twitter.com/vMg2iu1Odr

— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) March 15, 2019

And his production? Thankfully, Five Reasons Sports' Chris Kouffman, a draft guru and big Stick fan, put together a spliced-up highlight tape that includes every damn snap Stick took in 2018.

The throws, accuracy, and speed in his scrambles definitely impress. This is the sort of prospect worth a Dolphins middle-round pick. Hell, Stick could be the big one. It's worth a gamble.

Easton Stick makes a ton of sense for the Dolphins now. When 2020 gets here, they can decide if he still does.