Baker Mayfield, the dynamic yet polarizing Oklahoma quarterback, might be available when the Miami Dolphins make the 11th pick of the NFL draft on April 26. Or it might be UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen that is available.
The question is whether the Dolphins feel comfortable riding with a quarterback corps led by starter Ryan Tannehill and some combination of Brock Osweiler, Brandon Doughty or David Fales as backups, or whether they want a malleable rookie behind Tannehill.
Coach Adam Gase and general manager Chris Grier have said they want to draft a quarterback they can groom. This would be the year to accomplish that goal.
The 2018 draft projects as a strong quarterback class.
The top tier is led by USC's Sam Darnold and includes Wyoming's Josh Allen, Rosen and Mayfield. So the time is right for finding a talented backup for Tannehill in 2018, and planning for a future beyond him.
Tannehill has missed the last 20 games due to left knee issues. He's impressed at times during his career, but the 2012 first-round pick hasn't made a Pro Bowl or had a 30-touchdown season. It's getting close to decision time on Tannehill.
None of Miami's backups have demonstrated they'd have a brighter future than any of the first four quarterbacks projected to be drafted in the first round.
It's questionable whether Miami's backups project better than Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the Heisman Trophy-winner who is expected to be drafted in the second half of the first round.
And then there are other quarterbacks such as Oklahoma State's Mason Rudolph, Western Kentucky's Mike White, and Washington State's Luke Falk, who project well in the NFL, and perhaps better than the quarterbacks Miami has behind Tannehill.
The Dolphins haven't had success grooming a young successor behind Tannehill, opting for veteran Matt Moore as a backup for most of Tannehill's career.
Osweiler, the 27-year-old, sixth-year player, has experience as a starter and backup, and he has familiarity with Gase, having spent the first three years of his career with Gase in Denver.
Osweiler made seven starts for the Broncos in 2015, their Super Bowl-winning season, but struggled the next season in Houston _ 15 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, 72.2 passer rating in 14 starts _ and was traded to Cleveland before ending up back in Denver in 2017.
Miami drafted Doughty, the Western Kentucky product, in the seventh round in 2016 but he's developed slowly. Doughty hasn't played in a game, spending most of his career on the practice squad.
The Dolphins brought back Fales, who was with the team in training camp in 2017 and played for Gase in Chicago in 2015 when Gase was the Bears' offensive coordinator. But he's not viewed as the quarterback of the future, either.
Whether the Dolphins draft a quarterback in the first round might depend as much on who is available in the franchise's master plan. Some think Darnold, Rosen, Allen and Mayfield might be gone when the Dolphins pick at No. 11.
It seems doubtful Miami would trade up to get one of those four, but it remains a possibility.
And No. 11 seems too high to select Jackson, which means it would make more sense to trade down to acquire him later in the first round.
Beyond that, anything could happen when it comes to the Dolphins drafting a quarterback. Miami has the 10th pick of the second round (No. 42 overall), the ninth pick of the third round (No. 73 overall) and two picks in the fourth round _ Nos. 111 and 131 overall.
One thing seems clear, though. If the Dolphins want a young, talented quarterback to groom behind Tannehill, this is the year to acquire him.
