The 2020 NFL Draft is still months away, but there’s already been tons of speculation and mock drafts surrounding the quarterback-rich draft next spring.
One name that has often come up is that of Alabama junior quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who dislocated his hip last Saturday in a win over Mississippi State. Before the college football season started, many people had Tagovailoa pegged as the top pick in the draft, should he declare, with some theorizing that the Miami Dolphins would try and tank their season for a shot at Tua.
But, after his latest surgery– his fourth in college– Tagovailoa will likely see his draft stock drop now. Yesterday, Draft Wire’s latest mock draft had the Buccaneers passing on both Tagovailoa and Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert.
And, you can count Barrett Sallee of CBS Sports among those who would pass on Tua in the first round of the 2020 draft.
Appearing on 95.3 WDAE with Pat Donovan yesterday, Sallee had this to say when asked how confident he would be in drafting Tagovailoa in next year’s draft, especially if you’re the Buccaneers.
“Not very. The previous surgeries were concerning, but this one — obviously, they expect him to make a full recovery, and every press release sent since Saturday night has said that exact thing. Still, it’s nine to 12 months rehab. I would not even consider taking him in the first round because you just don’t know what you’re going to get. That’s not enough time to evaluate how his rehab is going.”
Sallee goes on to say he was talking with some people about Tagovailoa this weekend and they expressed concerns about his ability to stay healthy. About thirty minutes later, Tagovailoa went down with the hip injury.
If the Buccaneers do decide to look to the draft for a new quarterback, there are several red flags around Tagovailoa that could have them looking at a different collegiate signal-caller.
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