The Intangibles That Make Quinn Ewers a Unique Seventh-Round QB

The Miami Dolphins hope they got a steal with Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers

Miami Dolphins 2025 Seventh-Round Pick Quinn Ewers | Alain Poupart - Miami Dolphins On SI

Quinn Ewers was asked on the first day of Miami Dolphins Rookie Minicamp if he thought his experience at Texas prepared him for the limelight of the NFL. 

While hearing out the end of the question, a look and half-smirk came to his face before he responded. 

“I think it’s the closest thing to a pro program that you can get in college on all levels,” Ewers said about Texas. “It’s one of the best, if not the best, college run (in a way) that prepares you for the NFL.”

The look on Ewers’ face was telling because fact is, he's been in the spotlight longer than many Dolphins veterans.

There are no shortage of reviews on Ewers’ NFL physical talent or as some argue, his lack thereof. But instead of exploring the things that will be answered in time like arm strength, anticipation and viability as a starter, we're going to take a look at his intangibles, because they are impressive and in abundance.

PLAYED HURT, NEVER COMPLAINED

Ewers’ injuries have been well documented. He started the 2024 season strong, including a big, 31-12 Week 2 win at then-No. 10 Michigan in Ann Arbor. He threw for 246 yards and three TDs on 24-of-36 passing, doing so in what seemed effortless and without fear.

The following week on ESPN’s First Draft, analyst Mel Kiper Jr. made an early projection for where he thought Ewers stood on his draft board.

“Teammates feed off of his ability to go into any environment,” Kiper said. “Right now, he's got to be the elite QB in this draft at QB1.”

What nobody knew was that Ewers had completed the game with an injured oblique that went on to be completely torn the following game against UTSA with highly recruited phenom Arch Manning coming in and throwing four touchdowns, stoking the fan base again.

Ewers went on to finish out the season, however, not only playing with the injured stomach muscle, but he also played the final four games with a high ankle sprain. The extent of his injuries were never disclosed until season’s end.

So, yes, Ewers has had his share of injury problems but he’s shown no fear of playing through pain, an admirable trait.

NO MOMENT TOO BIG, DESPITE THE PRESSURE

Ewers returned to Texas after his one-year stint at Ohio State to a Longhorns program already facing complaints after head coach Steve Sarkisian’s first season ended at 5-7.

The sudden presence of the biggest name in Texas prep football — who started getting notice at QB camps in the third grade and got his first scholarship offer in seventh grade — helped the Longhorns in their efforts recruiting other players. Ewers helped lead the team to an 8-5 record in his redshirt freshman season, before following that with 12-2 and 13-3 campaigns.

“Quinn Ewers decided to come to Texas when we were a 5-7 football team. We owe a ton to Quinn," Sarkisian said. "Because if Quinn Ewers doesn't come, I don't know if the next five guys are coming. And if those next five guys don't come, I don't know if the next 10 guys are coming."

And Ewers never seemed fazed. As a sophomore, he was destroying Alabama before getting hurt on an illegal hit. He came back and beat the Tide in Tuscaloosa a year later, 34-24 in front of 100,077 fans. He won 10 games in his final two years against Top 25 teams, often doing so on the road.

"He battled injuries all three years,” Sarkisian recently said in defense of Ewers playing over Manning. “Leads us to two college football playoffs. Leads us to a Big 12 championship. Leads us to an SEC Championship Game, our first year in the conference. And that's his 'legacy' here. His legacy is way bigger than just (beating out Arch Manning)."

One of Ewers’ biggest moments from last year was a fourth-and-13 against Arizona State with Texas down seven and time winding down in the college football quarterfinals. Despite a heavy blitz coming up the middle, he calmly connected for a 28-yard touchdown, getting his team into overtime and ultimately the CFP semifinals.

  "Quinn Ewers' composure saved Texas' season," ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said after the game. "You know, after that fourth-quarter interception and the mounting comeback by Arizona State, he goes 11-of-14 for 160 yards."

In fact, Ewers has always been money when the pressure is on. In his last two seasons, he went 136-of-197 (69.0) for 1,571 yards, 14 TDs and four interceptions when playing from behind.

As well as reportedly running his own Pro Day, it’s the type of leadership that Ewers already was taking on the first day of Dolphins rookie camp.

“It’s my responsibility to lead these rookies,” Ewers sad. “It’s my opportunity to go get noticed at the end of the day and I’m going to try and do that.”

EWERS ALWAYS BET ON HIMSELF

Again, almost to his detriment at times, Ewers always believed in himself as one look at his choices will suggest.

As the highest-rated high school quarterback in the country — and the first to earn a perfect 10.0 score from Rivals.com — Ewers had his pick of where he wanted to go. What many didn’t anticipate though, is that he would forfeit his senior year of high school ball and attend Ohio State.

NIL was just becoming a thing and though that’s not the reason he left early, the ability to monetize many of the memorabilia offers on his plate did play a role. In the end, he only took a handful of snaps at Ohio State behind starter C.J. Stroud, before returning to Texas, where he had initially committed.

It’s hard to say whether playing a final year of high school might have suited him better in terms of his growth. His announcement of returning to Texas, however, helped the recruits start coming, one of them the biggest name in recent history — his new competition, QB Arch Manning.

As is usually the case, the backup quarterback was the most popular player on the roster, with fans often clamoring for the latest Manning to take the reins.

Ewers never let it happen (again possibly to his detriment) as he found himself playing in games hurt rather than properly rehabbing his injuries that a player without the nation’s top recruit sitting behind him may have otherwise taken the time for. He never allowed himself the opportunity to be “Wally Pipped” because he just wouldn’t let the injuries take him out.

In the end, with Texas making its way under Ewers’ leadership to a second College Football Playoff Semifinal, he was left with little time to decide his next step (an issue with the current transfer system for college players playing that late into the season). Staying at Texas would have been a tough sell, as Manning sitting three years basically meant no more Manning in Texas, something the fan base would not have tolerated.

Ewers decided to follow his dream, believing again in himself and turned pro.

“I didn’t expect to fall as low as I did,” Ewers said, “but … it is what it is at the end of the day and I have the same opportunity as everybody else does, and I’m beyond thankful for that.”

COMING IN A STEP AHEAD

Looking at things from the outside, the fit for Ewers in Miami couldn’t be better.

He comes from a Texas system that is near identical to what the Dolphins run, so he will be familiar in that regard.

He also has the traits Mike McDaniel likes in a quarterback — the ability to throw with accuracy and anticipation.

"I think all of us wish he he would have gotten drafted higher,” Sarkisian said. “But at the end of the day if I could have picked a place that I think is a great fit for him, I think Miami is a great fit. You know systematically what coach McDaniel does is, if not exactly the same, very similar to what we do."

DOLPHINS TAKE IN FULL PICTURE

A quote from Dolphins GM Chris Grier after the draft really said it best in terms of summarizing all that Ewers has been through and what the Dolphins saw in him.

"Sark really likes and is high on him and (talked) about him playing through the injuries this year, which affected his play a little bit," Grier said. "He talked about his toughness, his mental toughness, of pushing through with the injuries, the expectations, all the pressure, you know, with (Arch) Manning there coming in. He loved his competitiveness and how he plays and how his teammates respond to him.”

In the end, there really isn’t much more the Dolphins could have expected in terms of intangibles from a seventh-round quarterback and it will be interesting to see if him getting the time and development he needs will result in a player who should have been selected earlier.