With the fifth pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa. What grade does the franchise get for its top pick?
With the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins selected Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. Entering the 2019 college football season Tagovailoa sat atop the college football world as the de facto top pick in the 2020 draft. However, he suffered a dislocated right hip nine games into the season and saw questions begin arising about his mounting injury history.
During his three seasons in college, Tagovailoa went to two College Football Championships and won in his first appearance. He finished his college career with an outstanding 199.4 passer rating. Arguably the most talented quarterback in Alabama history, Tagovailoa’s draft stock took a hit when injuries and surgeries began mounting.
In his sophomore season, Tagovailoa tallied 3,966 passing yards, 43 touchdowns, and six interceptions while completing 69.0% of his pass attempts. He finished second in the Heisman voting, and looked poised to win the award in his junior season.
Unfortunately, the dislocated hip held Tagovailoa to nine games during his final college season. During those games, he amassed 2,840 yards, 33 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 71.4% of his pass attempts. He played incredibly well, but the hip injury erased all of that hype.
As we neared the draft, analysts began harping on Tagovailoa’s injuries, but the young quarterback proved he was recovering well. News recently came out that he passed a pre-draft physical for Miami. If Miami felt comfortable with what they saw from Tagovailoa, then this is a fantastic pick. When healthy, Tagovailoa is one of the best quarterback prospects in recent history.
The Dolphins receive an A- for their first pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The injuries do prevent this from being an A or A+, but I think people got too carried away with the concerns. Go back and watch the tape. Tagovailoa played lights out for the Crimson Tide and everyone loved him until midway through the season. Even if he initially sits at the start of the season, Tagovailoa will make a full recovery and become Miami’s quarterback of the future.