2020 NFL Draft: Grading every first-round pick after rookie year

Grading every rookie from the 2020 NFL Draft: 5. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

2020 stats:

• 1,814 passing yards
• 11 TDs
• 5 INTs
• 64.1 completion %
• 87.1 passer rating

You know, Tua Tagovailoa has been treated as though he’s some sort of scrub. Now the numbers aren’t exactly what you would expect from a number five overall pick but there are a plethora of things that took place that simply wasn’t ideal.

First off, the Dolphins should have just kept the ball in the hands of Ryan Fitzpatrick. The veteran QB was on a roll when he was yanked not even halfway through the season in favor of Tagovailoa. That alone was an egregious mistake and one that many in the locker room acrimonious but all was forgiven once he kept the winning train going.

The main problem with what the Dolphins did and most notably, head coach Brian Flores, is that they kept pulling him when the going got tough.

The former Alabama star always produced in the clutch in college and produced one of the most memorable comebacks in college history but was seldom given that opportunity in the pros. Now, after a so-so year, they could be looking into trading him, a reality the first year QB is fully aware of but powerless to do anything about (subscription required). The Dolphins are simply a mess but Tagovailoa had a good year all things considered. The Dolphins just need to have more faith in their young QB.

Grade: B