1. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
Size: 6-0, 217
The Good: Now that we’ve established that height isn’t that big a deal when it comes to drafting a quarterback high – thanks to Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray – it really doesn’t matter that Tagovailoa isn’t 6-5.
Ask anyone around Alabama, and they’ll tell you the same thing – this guy was a special type of passer right out of the box.
.@Tuaamann carries a lot of pressure on his shoulders.
He pushes himself for his culture, his family and his name. #GreatnessIsAChoice
📺: 2020 @NFLDraft, April 23-25 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC pic.twitter.com/SaLw0fifdb
— NFL (@NFL) April 2, 2020
Jalen Hurts might have had the starting gig for the Crimson Tide in 2017, but even if he was fantastic on the way to a national championship – he struggled before getting pulled in Bama’s CFP title win of Georgia – it was being talked about that Tagovailoa might have the starting job the following year.
Tagovailoa has got it when it comes to throwing a football.
He’s fearless, he’s decisive, and he’s brilliant at putting his passes where his targets can do big things. The throwing motion is close to flawless, he’s got every pass in the bag, and his character is impeccable.
BetMGM: bet on who’ll be the 1st Overall Pick …
The Not-So-Good: Can you trust him to get through the grind of an NFL season when he struggled to get through three months of a college slate?
He was never quite right – including in the offseason after playing just one half in the national championship in the 2017 season – and suffered a slew of various leg injuries. His most recent workouts appear fine, and his injured hip is supposedly okay, but …
Do you really want to hitch your wagon to a guy who’ll make you hold your breath every time he gets touched?
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: We totally and completely wimped out in our 2017 NFL Draft quarterback analysis. Deshaun Watson wasn’t the No. 1 guy because of injury concerns.
Once he got to the league, the exact fear we had came true when he injured his knee early on in a non-contact drill. He’s built like a punter, he can’t hold up in the league, and …
He recovered and was still a superstar.
The party line on Tagovailoa remains the same as it has been for the last year. If you’re willing to be that he’ll start at least 100 career NFL games, you take the chance on greatness.
Projected Round: Top Five Overall
PHOTO CREDITS: Burrow Credit: Derick E. Hingle; Hurts Credit: Kevin Jairaj; Herbert Credit: Casey Sapio; Tagovailoa Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports
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