Tua Tagovailoa’s hip is healing, and his draft stock is rising

Tua Tagovailoa’s hip is apparently healing nicely, and his draft stock is set to rise right in line now.

If not for a severe hip injury late last season, Tua Tagovailoa might be the slam-dunk No. 1 pick in this year’s draft. At the NFL Combine late last month he said he expected to be cleared or normal activity on March 9.

Here we are on Monday, March 9 . According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the four-month scans on Tagovailia’s fractured and dislocated hip have come back “as positive as possible” and “very good with no concerns.”

Even with the concerns over his hip, and the possibility he wouldn’t be healthy enough to play as a rookie, Tagovailoa is projected as a top-10 pick in April’s draft. The Miami Dolphins (No.5) and Los Angeles Chargers (No. 6) stand atop the list of best fits, with talk the Washington Redskins at No. 2 are considering taking him.

The Detroit Lions at No. 3 could also have interest, or else they’ll be in prime position to trade down with a team that covets Tagovailoa.

Tagovailoa is slated to participate in Alabama’s Pro Day on March 24. What his level of participation will look like is hard to tab, but he’ll surely throw some and teams will want to see more generally how he is able to move around on that surgically repaired hip.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow has taken over from Tagovailoa as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick this year, which the Cincinnati Bengals of course own. But the Bengals are doing their due diligence on the top quarterback prospects, with offensive coordinator Brian Callahan saying he’ll also be at the Pro Days for Tagovailoa two weeks from Tuesday and for Justin Herbert on Thursday of this week.

Could the Bengals pivot off Burrow and take Tagovailoa first-overall? Someone was surely going to come with that hot take at some point, but as long as Tua’s hip continues healing right along the idea isn’t that far-fetched.