Earlier today, Alabama starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finally confirmed everything everyone has been pretty sure of for a while now.
After a quick Nick Saban speech, Tua made his announcement and declared for the NFL draft.
I mean, this was pretty much a no brainer. He was set to be one of the best quarterbacks in the 2020 NFL Draft, until Joe Burrow, well became Joe Burrow. But, Tua will still be one of the top picks in the draft.
In fact, Pro Football Focus still has him as the second quarterback off the board heading to the Miami Dolphins at No. 5.
As I wrote this post, I reached out to our NFL Draft expert Deke, (He’s probably better than Mel Kiper Jr. let’s be honest) and this is what he came up with.
His first five possible landing spots represent realistic possibilities.
- Miami at the 5th pick
- Chargers at the 6th pick
- Raiders at the 12th pick
- Bucs at the 14th pick
- Patriots at the 23rd Pick
His second five are his “long shots,” places that he could see Tua landing, but he probably won’t.
- Panthers at the 7th pick
- Saints at the 24th Pick
- Titans at their pick (not set yet)
- Packers at their pick (not set yet)
- Lions in the second round
The question here is how will Tua respond from the hip injury that caused him to miss the final three games of the season, including the Iron Bowl which knocked the Crimson Tide out of the CFB playoffs.
He’s also done through two ankle surgeries, one in each ankle, the past two seasons. Which brings his durability into question as well.
So will Tua come back to full strength and avoid an injury-riddled career?
There are still a lot of questions surrounding him, but it’s no secret that he has the talent to excel in the NFL.
In his three-year career at Bama, the 6-foot-1 Hawaii native passed for 7,442 yards and 87 touchdowns while only throwing 11 interceptions. Those are pretty incredible numbers. I mean take a lot at his highlights.
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