With roughly four weeks until the 2020 NFL Draft Draft, the one player—not named Joe Burrow—who could most likely shape it could be former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa
Once considered by many the top quarterback prospect in the draft before Burrow’s historic breakout season, en route to a Heisman Trophy and national title, Tagovailoa would go toe-toe in what would be an instant classic in a 46-41 loss to LSU in Tuscaloosa.
One week later, Tagovailoa suffered a horrific season-ending dislocation and fracture in his hip against Mississippi State that many felt hurt his draft stock. Tua would ultimately decide to forgo his senior year to enter the NFL Draft.
At 6’1 and 218 pounds, despite being just 22, many draft experts and NFL insiders considered Tua an afterthought due to his injury-riddled career at Alabama. And with such a checkered medical history involving ankle, wrist, quad and hip injuries, Tagovailoa has been projected as high as third overall to the Detroit Lions or as low as 24th to the New Orleans Saints
Thanks to a recent social media post of him “practicing social distancing” in displaying no ill effects from his injury and getting a full medical green light to resume, could Tua possibly shake up the entire draft?
If his medicals do indeed check out—as per the video, etc.—then QB-needy teams desperate for a new face (Los Angeles, Miami and Detroit) or want to groom an heir apparent (Carolina, New England or New Orleans) will jump at the chance to grab perhaps the drafts biggest wildcard, but a player that completed 70 percent of his passes, passed for 284 yards a game and was responsible for 83 touchdowns in 24 games the last two seasons.
Where will Tua land? That’s anyone’s guess. But with a fresh and new reprieve on football, not only will the former Crimson Tide quarterback be ready to go, but ready to make an impact for whichever team pulls the trigger on him.