The Miami Dolphins’ search for a potential franchise quarterback for next season became more complicated last weekend when Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa went down with a dislocated hip injury — a development that not only cast his status as a top prospect into doubt, but one that also has the potential to impact his long-term playing career.
Thankfully, it seems as though Tagovailoa’s medical treatment was exactly what you’d expect at the University of Alabama: top-notch. So much so that Tagovailoa is reportedly expected to make a full recovery from the injury. Whether or not Tagovailoa still declares for the 2020 NFL Draft is a decision he and his family will still need to make.
The most recent news of Tagovailoa’s prognosis comes from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport — and it indicates that should Tagovailoa enter this year’s draft, the recent medical feedback on the injury may only slightly impact his stock with teams.
“If he does (declare), according to five high-ranking executives, Tagovailoa is still expected to be taken in the first round, with all believing he’ll end up in the first half of the round. He may not be the top 3 pick he was slated to be before the injury, but the fall from the ailment is not expected to be catastrophic — pending the results of his medical evaluations… none of the personnel executives polled believe he falls out of the first round. One said the best-case scenario for Tua is to go late in the first round to a team with a veteran QB already. Another said the sweet spot are picks 10 to 12, with someone trading up to take him. Another said the injury history affects him, but in this QB-needy league, not enough for him to fall out of the first day.” – Ian Rapoport, NFL.com
Should this all materialize for Miami, it’d be difficult to see the Dolphins passing on Tagovailoa. That is, of course, provided the reports of how much the Dolphins like him as a prospect are true. The Dolphins will, like the rest of the league, undoubtedly keep a close on on this situation to see how things develop in the coming weeks until Tagovailoa makes his decision. But the momentum seems to heavily lean towards no long-term damage being done, which puts the Dolphins in prime position with three 1st-round picks to target Tagovailoa in the spring.
[vertical-gallery id=420193]