When the clock strikes 10:00 a.m. PT on Monday, Jan. 6, all attention is going to be shifted to what’s going down in Tuscaloosa, AL.
That will mark when Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa reveals his decision whether or not he’s entering the 2020 NFL draft.
Tagovailoa will announce his decision about his future during a press conference with coach Nick Saban, according to Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman.
Tua was regarded as the top quarterback prospect in the upcoming draft before suffering a season-ending hip injury in November.
With the Chargers in need of looking towards the future at the quarterback position, Tagovailoa has still been commonly mocked to them. But if he goes pro remains to be seen.
Tagovailoa’s decision tomorrow could have an affect on Los Angeles’ draft plans. But how?
If Tua makes the leap to the pros, he will continue to be a strong possibility for the Chargers leading up into the draft. However, there’s a quarterback-needy team that sits in front of them: the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins, who have done their work on Tagovailoa, could take him at No. 5, and that would allow Los Angeles to still take their future face of the franchise in someone like Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
This would be the best case scenario because the Chargers would be able to sit at their spot knowing that they will have their choice between consensus’ top-two signal-callers (assuming that LSU’s Joe Burrow is already off the board).
Now, what if Tua feels like he could benefit from another year at Alabama?
This is where it could become tricky.
Miami, who has the advantage being one spot in front of Los Angeles, could select Herbert, leaving the Chargers in not the most ideal position to grab a quarterback at the slot.
L.A. would have their choosing at the offensive tackle position or they could elect to take the best player available still, but I’m a firm believer that the team should grab their quarterback in Round 1 and take their other positions of need the rest of the draft.
If you take an offensive tackle or another position in the first, they would be forced to play the waiting game, in hopes of having a quarterback like Utah State’s Jordan Love or Washington’s Jacob Eason fall to them in Round 2.
The Chargers could trade up to the back end of the first-round if they see a quarterback slipping, but nothing is guaranteed, especially when you have teams like the Panthers, Colts, Raiders, Steelers among others that could snag one.
If Tua doesn’t come out and the Chargers get the sense that the Dolphins are going to draft Herbert, they could jump into the No. 4 spot to select him, but I don’t know if general manager Tom Telesco is willing to give up capital when they’re already in a good position to begin with.
Another option across the waves of social media consists of waiting until 2021 to draft a quarterback with someone like Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, Ohio State’s Justin Fields or even Tua if he goes back to school.
I don’t think it’d be the greatest idea. Los Angeles is built to win, given their roster. It’s a guess, but the chance of them picking in the top-10 again is slim-to-none.
Not to mention, Tyrod Taylor only has one more year on his contract and should Philip Rivers re-sign, my guess is it’s for one year, with a possible second-year option.
The rookie that they select would be able to sit behind either Rivers, Taylor or even a potential trade or free agent option and then take the reins in 2021 with some NFL experience under his belt.
The bottom line is that when Tua makes his decision, Chargers fans should be hoping that he enters the 2020 NFL draft. This would really open things up for the team, and put them in the best position to take a quarterback with the No. 6 overall selection.