With Tagovailoa/Young meeting, here’s a reality on top-10 QBs. And Dolphin injury surprise

The Dolphins ruled out center Connor Williams for Sunday’s home game against Carolina (1 p.m., CBS) because of a groin injury. Liam Eichenberg is expected to start at center in his place.

Meanwhile, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. - who’s on injured reserve with finger and rib injuries - was listed as doubtful. That’s a surprise, because Mike McDaniel said Friday morning that he’s ready to play in a game, after offensive coordinator Frank Smith said the same Thursday.

With De’Von Achane also out, that means Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed and Chris Brooks will be the Dolphins’ running backs on Sunday.

Like Wilson, cornerback Nik Needham - who remains on PUP after last October’s Achilles injury - also was listed as doubtful.

Three were listed as questionable for Sunday: linebacker Jaelan Phillips (oblique), guard Rob Jones (knee; on injured reserve) and fullback Alec Ingold (foot).

Phillips said he’s not allowed to say if he will play on Sunday, but “I felt really good today. I’m happy where I’m at right now. I’m trying to get back to my explosive self.”

For Carolina, top defensive players Brian Burns and Derrick Brown are questionable for Sunday. Running back Myles Sanders and safeties Xavier Woods and Vonn Bell are among players out.

TUA, YOUNG AND TOP 10 QBs

As the Dolphins churn through arguably the easiest two-game stretch of their schedule (the Giants and Panthers at home), it serves as a reminder that Miami picked the right year to begin a rebuild, the year preceding a quarterback-rich 2020 draft.

It’s also a reminder that finding a long-term quarterback in the top 10 of the NFL Draft isn’t as easy as it might seem to be.

While 2020 fifth overall pick Tua Tagovailoa continues to build a resume as one of the league’s most productive and accurate quarterbacks, several other top-10 quarterbacks on Miami’s schedule are trying to find their way.

The Giants’ struggling Daniel Jones, a former sixth overall pick, threw for just 119 yards against the Dolphins on Sunday before departing in the second half with a neck injury.

The struggles of Jets former second overall pick Zach Wilson, who has a career 71.4 rating with 19 touchdowns and 23 interceptions, could be the difference for the Dolphins in either of two upcoming meetings between the teams, including the day after Thanksgiving in New York.

And the Panthers’ Bryce Young, the first pick in this past April’s draft, enters Sunday’s Carolina-Dolphins game experiencing the highs, lows and growing pains that often happen with rookie quarterbacks (five touchdown passes, four interceptions and a 77 rating).

“He’s going to be great in this league, but he’s still young right now,” Dolphins linebacker Bradley Chubb said. “Rookie mistakes.... It’s hard to put your finger on what actually a rookie mistake is, but you see a veteran wouldn’t do that. But that just comes with it.

“Everybody has been through that rookie phase and has made rookie mistakes. I feel he’s just another one of them, just finding his way along in this league. I know it’s going to click for him sometime, but we have to make our goal this week to rattle him and do whatever we can for him to get uncomfortable.”

Of the five NFL quarterbacks that have the lowest passer ratings through five weeks, four were top-10 picks — Jones, Wilson, Ryan Tannehill and Young. (Mac Jones, a 15th overall pick, is the other.)

Tagovailoa, meanwhile, entered Week 6 leading the league in passing yards (1,614), a pace that would set an NFL record for passing yards in a season.

He’s second behind the 49ers’ Brock Purdy in passer rating (111.9) and third in completion percentage (71.7), behind only Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Purdy.

Provided Tagovailoa can stay healthy, the Dolphins can say they accomplished something that more than 20 teams couldn’t do this century: find a good long-term starting quarterback in the top 10 of the draft.

Since the start of the century, 43 quarterbacks have been selected in the top 10 of the draft.

Seven could qualify as busts or close to it: JaMarcus Russell, Vince Young, Joey Harrington, Josh Rosen, Jake Locker, Matt Leinart and Blaine Gabbert.

Another eight of them couldn’t sustain long careers as successful starters — Blake Bortles, Jameis Winston, Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz, Mitch Trubisky, Sam Darnold, Robert Griffin III and David Carr.

Two others — the Jets’ Wilson and Dallas backup Trey Lance — sit dangerously close to getting the bust label.

A few others — the Giants’ Jones, Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford, Tannehill, Baker Mayfield, Byron Leftwich — were OK, very good at times, but never elite.

There’s not nearly a big enough sample size to judge C.J. Stroud (who’s off to a very impressive start as a Houston rookie), Anthony Richardson (who has shown promise as a Colts rookie but is injured and out indefinitely) and Young.

So that accounts for 26 of the 43.

So who have become high-impact starters as Top 10 QB picks this century?

Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Andrew Luck, Michael Vick, Carson Palmer, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Alex Smith (due to late-career success), Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, Jared Goff, perhaps Kyler Murray and former MVP Cam Newton. Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, Tagovailoa and Trevor Lawrence qualify for that list, provided they sustain their strong play over time.

The message, from the evidence this century, is clear: It’s a tossup whether the quarterback your team takes in the top 10 becomes really good, during an extended period, or not.

For Tagovailoa, the popular water cooler debate now is what tier he belongs among NFL quarterbacks.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky said Tagovailoa belongs in a tier behind Allen and Lamar Jackson, though Tagovailoa has by far the best passer rating of the three since the start of 2021.

The top quarterbacks left on Miami’s schedule (Kansas City’s Mahomes and Allen) were top-10 picks — 10th and seventh, respectively. So are three of the most vulnerable QBs left on Miami’s schedule — Young on Sunday, Tannehill (struggling in Year 12) and the Jets’ beleaguered Wilson.

So Dolphins can appreciate that Miami found a quarterback the year after team brass decided to take a step back for the long-term good of the franchise.