Since becoming the first quarterback the Dolphins have drafted in the first round since you-know-who, Ryan Tannehill has spent most of his time in aqua and orange watching veterans David Garrard and Matt Moore share the bulk of the first-team snaps. Although it took until the team’s final off-season practice before training camp late next month, Tannehill finally got his shot behind the steering wheel Thursday. And in the eyes of coach Joe Philbin, the 6-4, 221-pound rookie didn’t look so bad.

“I thought he threw a couple real nice balls — one specifically where he threw a vertical ball down the middle of the field where I thought it had real good location and velocity on it,” Philbin said, referring to the perfect strike Tannehill delivered on a 20-yard crossing route to receiver Julius Pruitt, one of two touchdown passes the rookie threw during 11-on-11 drills. “I thought he made a couple good adjustments in the protection and recognition of the pressure, which direction it was coming from, getting the line and the backs squared away in terms of identification. I thought there were a lot of good things.” There also was some bad. Tannehill threw two interceptions, and at times had trouble with his timing, leading to drops from a few receivers (there were nearly 80 from his receivers during his time at Texas A&M). But it was the interceptions Philbin didn’t like.

The first pick came inside the team’s practice bubble when cornerback Sean Smith yanked down a jump-ball in the end zone. The other happened during a two minute drill late in practice when safety Reshad Jones stepped in front of a pass intended for running Reggie Bush. “Me and Reggie really weren’t on the same page,” Tannehill said. “But at the end of the day you can’t turn it over as a quarterback. We’re doing a two-minute drill and I take pride in those things. You want to practice like it’s a game situation and you never want to turn it over in those situations. … “It’s a faster game. Guys move around faster. Plays develop faster. It’s just something you have to get comfortable with. That’s something that comes with a little bit of time, seeing the reps. I feel like I’m getting adjusted to it. It’s been a little bit of a process throughout the offseason, but I get more adjusted to it everyday