2020 NFL Draft: Buy or sell 5 quarterback prospect rumors
By Zach Cohen
2020 NFL Draft season is getting fully underway but which rumors about the quarterbacks in this class should you buy and which should you sell?
Pop the champagne, because it’s the most wonderful time of the year: NFL Draft season! With the NFL’s offseason underway, teams will whip out those whiteboards faster than you can say “Laviska Shenault Jr.” as they continue to plan for their future.
As for the rest of the football fandom, some of us eagerly await any drop of news or rumors to trickle down from the not-so-tight-lipped front offices regarding the 2020 NFL Draft. And trust me, there’s been quite a swirl of rumors in recent weeks.
Some are fairly obvious and reasonable, while others are more like the egregiously fake headlines generated by Madden‘s Franchise Mode. Of course, it’s still relatively early in the draft process, so some of the following rumors might gain more weight as we inch closer to the three-day extravaganza.
In other words, anything can change from now until the draft. Remember that this time two years ago, Baker Mayfield was a near-unanimous second-day selection. For now, it’s important that you know what to believe and what to forget, so let’s play some “Buy or Sell”, starting with these five regarding the most important position in football: quarterback.
5. Dolphins want to trade up for Tua at No. 3
There’s no sugarcoating it; this is the worst-kept secret in the football. The Dolphins have reportedly been infatuated with Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa for some time now. Seriously, Google “Tua Tagovailoa” and “Miami Dolphins” and see what comes up.
Aside from Miami’s strong link to Tagovailoa, this report is legitimate because the Dolphins have the draft capital to move up and snag Tagovailoa. They also might need to, as Miami isn’t the only team hunting for a quarterback.
In fact, the newly quarterback-less Chargers are selecting right after them and could easily jump the Dolphins if they don’t make a move first. And as recent NFL history says, a team will likely need to trade up if they want a first-round quarterback.
Since 2016, 14 quarterbacks were selected in the first round. Of the 14, 10 were drafted by a team that traded into that slot. Two of the other four quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray) were the first overall pick by a team that originally owned that selection. The other two were Daniel Jones and Dwayne Haskins, who were taken last year at their team’s original pick.
What all that means is the Dolphins will likely follow this trend if they really covet a quarterback, which all signs support that they do. As for Detroit, they could gain an extra few picks, so unless they absolutely love a prospect (Jeffrey Okudah? Isaiah Simmons?) why wouldn’t they take the deal?
I’m not a gambler, but I would bet heavily that the Dolphins trade up to draft a quarterback at three.