As we continue to get closer to the NFL Draft, one question still seems to be hard to answer: where will Tua Tagovailoa end up?
And according to three new NFL Mock drafts, there’s different answers to that question.
According to Mel Kiper of ESPN, Tagovailoa could end up as the 3rd overall pick and become a part of the Detroit Lions. According to Kiper:
“The Lions say they’re not shopping quarterback Matthew Stafford, but there is some buzz that they like Tagovailoa, who might not work out for teams before April’s draft because of his hip injury. Is that just a smoke screen? We’re still two months away from the draft, of course. Stafford’s contract is extremely tough to trade in 2020 — the team could have up to a $32 million dead-cap hit — but what if Detroit likes Tagovailoa so much that it keeps Stafford on the roster for another year? This pick also seems like the perfect spot for a team to trade up to get a quarterback, whether that’s Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert or someone else. Could the Chargers or Raiders or Jaguars move up to jump the Dolphins at No. 5 and get their guy? Everything is in play here, and since I’m not going to project trades, I’ll stick with Tagovailoa at No. 3.”
But that’s not what CBS Sports’ latest NFL Mock Draft suggests. According to Tom Fornelli, Tagovailoa is a lock as the 3rd overall pick, but he will be heading to the west coast to join to LA Chargers after a trade with the Lions. According to Fornelli:
“The Chargers not only take their replacement for Philip Rivers, but they get a name that might make people in Los Angeles care about the Chargers. L.A. sends Detroit the No. 6, No. 71 and a 2021 2nd round pick to move up three spots to take Tua before the Dolphins can.”
And lastly, USA Today’s mock draft Tua will still be joining the Miami Dolphins, a topic of conversation people have been discussing since the season started. After all, #TankforTua was a real thing. According to Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today:
“It likely will be at least a month before Tagovailoa is back in action. His agent, Leigh Steinberg, said the quarterback would throw for teams in March or April after taking more time to recover from hip surgery. Things seem to be trending in his favor, though, as NFL Network reported the results of a CT scan were “as positive as possible.” Miami stands out as a natural landing spot, especially given the significant draft capital in hand should the Dolphins feel compelled to move up for him.”
As you can see, three different mock drafts with three different landing places for Tua. The question remains, where will he end up?
As his recovery progresses, maybe, just maybe we will get a clearer picture of where he’ll end up. Or maybe the night of the draft, everyone will be shocked and something crazy happens.
Regardless, this is going to be entertaining and fascinating to watch unfold, because no matter where Tagovailoa ends up, he’ll be a star.
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