Dolphins select Kansas State QB Skylar Thompson with final pick of NFL Draft
The Dolphins selected Kansas State quarterback Skylar Thompson with the No. 247 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, using their final pick on an experienced college passer.
In 2021, Thompson, 6-1 and 217 pounds, completed 69.5 percent of his passes for 2,113 yards, 12 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also rushed for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
A five-year player at Kansas State, Thompson made 40 starts, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 7,134 yards, 42 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also ran 354 times for 1,087 yards and 26 touchdowns. In 2019, he was named Honorable Mention All-Big 12.
“He’s a competitive kid,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said. “Smart, tough. He’s got some athletic ability. I always appreciate how he played and how the coaches and people around him talked about the character and the person. It’s always intriguing and we got to the point here at the end where this was a guy who has potential to develop as a quarterback and has some upside. So, we were excited and the coaching staff and Mike, they followed suit with their work.”
After a long wait to hear his name called, Thompson said getting picked by the Dolphins “caught me by surprise,” even though he had conversations with new quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell as recently as this week. Thompson said he thought multiple teams had more interest in him than the Dolphins but called it a “great surprise.”
Most NFL teams carry two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster so Thompson will have to show he is worthy of a third quarterback spot during the season. Tua Tagovailoa enters his third season as the Dolphins’ starting quarterback and Teddy Bridgewater was signed to be Tagovailoa’s backup. The team also signed Chris Streveler.
“First and foremost, I’ve got to get my foot in the door and start learning the playbook and just be a great teammate,” Thompson said. “That’s what I’m here – I’m here to win and whatever that may look like, whatever my role is on the team, I’m going to own my role and I’m going to do whatever it takes to help the Miami Dolphins win.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2022 at 6:39 PM.
