With their final pick of the 2022 NFL draft, the Miami Dolphins added a fourth quarterback to the roster, selecting Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson.
Thompson being drafted was far from a sure thing, and you could hear the excitement when he received that phone call from the Dolphins’ brass.
The former Wildcat completed 62.4% of his passes during his collegiate career, amassing 7,124 yards, 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also used his legs for another 1,087 yards and 26 touchdowns in those five seasons.
With Miami appearing to have a starting quarterback and a backup, there were some questioning the selection when there were other needs that could’ve been addressed. And, even if they were set on drafting that position, there were other quarterbacks rated higher.
Luckily, during the post-draft press conference, general manager Chris Grier was able to explain why it was he wanted Thompson to be a Dolphin.
“Yeah, I think going through the process here, we’ve all kind of seen him over the years,” Grier said. “It seems like every year Kansas State pulls a big upset over someone and he has a game that people end up talking about. He’s a competitive kid that’s smart, tough. He’s got some athletic ability. I always appreciate how he played and how their coaches and people around him talked about the character and the person. It was always intriguing and then we got to the point here at the end where there is a guy that has some potential to develop as a quarterback and has some upside. We’re excited. The coaching staff and Mike (McDaniel), I’ll let him speak on that but they followed suit with their work.”
Then, head coach Mike McDaniel chimed in, responding to the same question.
“You’re excited when you turn on the tape and you see a guy with passion play the position of quarterback,” McDaniel explained. “You could feel his command and his competitiveness and that’s something that the entire team benefits from because you’re touching the ball all the time and making decisions. We felt good about that opportunity. I just really like the way he played the game and how competitive he was. I think that everyone will be excited that we added another competitor to the team and move forward in that way. Skylar by far had the best audience, too, around him. (laughter) They were all great but I think he had like several people screaming in his ear and into the phone because it was that loud. A lot of people were excited about it.”
Thompson may have a lot of work to do before he earns anything in Miami, but it’s evident that the Dolphins, as an organization, like what he brings to the table.