ESPN Analyst Slams NFL Draft Pick of Quinn Ewers by Miami Dolphins

ESPN football analyst Louis Riddick was not high on Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers during NFL Draft coverage back in May.

And when Riddick joined host Marisa Marino recently on Dolphins Talk, Marino referenced Riddick's draft-time opinion and asked him about Ewers' long-term potential as Miami's backup quarterback.

The former NFL safety explains his subpar evaluation of Ewers -- who ended up being selected by the Dolphins in Round 7 -- in Marino's June 26 X post.

What Riddick said about Ewers

"I don't know Quinn, I just know Quinn from watching a lot of UT film and being a big Texas Longhorn fan, as far as the way they play football and being close with Steve Sarkisian," Riddick said. "Could he be a good No. 2? Yeah. Do I think he has the horsepower, as far as body twitch, arm strength, to be a starting-caliber quarterback that could really level up Miami? No, I didn't see that. So that's why I was very lukewarm, to say the least, on the draft selection."

Riddick states that his critique of Ewers doesn't come from a place of disrespect, but of honesty. He acknowledges that the three-year Texas starter dealt with injury during his time in Austin and also weighed in on the controversy over whether Arch Manning should've played more instead of Ewers.

"Obviously there was a lot of things swirling around as far as did people feel as though Sark kept him in the lineup too long and didn't play Arch soon enough down there, and I was one of those people that felt that Arch should have gotten more run down there. But we'll see, I've been wrong before," Riddick said.

Ewers has the third-most passing yards and touchdowns in Texas Longhorn history, only behind Colt McCoy and Sam Ehlinger in both categories.

In what was viewed as an underwhelming season for the quarterback by many, Ewers threw for 3,472 yards, had a 31:12 touchdown-interception ratio, and led Texas to its second straight College Football Playoff semifinal in its first year in the Southeastern Conference. That was with oblique and ankle injuries limiting Ewers' production and contributing to some of his ineffectiveness.

While the criticism of Ewers seems harsh at times, NFL front offices seemed to mostly agree with Riddick's assessment of Ewers' potential, as he fell to pick No. 231 after being projected to go in the third round.

But when it comes to locations for a late-round quarterback to land, there are not many that could potentially provide more opportunity than Miami. Starter Tua Tagovailoa has had trouble staying healthy and Zach Wilson's inconsistency has led him to his third team since being drafted second overall in 2021.

With Tagovailoa likely sitting out the preseason, it will be Wilson, Ewers, and fourth-string Brett Gabbert running the show.

"As far as how I felt about it in what I look for in quarterbacks and what really attracts me to quarterbacks, I didn't see a whole lot of it [in Ewers]. He'll have plenty of chances, I'm sure, to prove me wrong in the preseason," Riddick said.

The Dolphins open their preseason slate at Soldier Field against the Chicago Bears on August 10.