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The Dolphins should trade up for Tua Tagovailoa in the NFL Draft

By Gino Terrell

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Tua Tagovailoa #QB17 of Alabama interviews during the first day of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 25: Tua Tagovailoa #QB17 of Alabama interviews during the first day of the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) /
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The Miami Dolphins need to pull the trigger and trade up for their guy. Their guy needs to be quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

This is the time for the Miami Dolphins to be aggressive and trade up to select Tua Tagovailoa in the 2020 NFL Draft.

The former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback and 2017 national champion is there for the taking. With Joe Burrow inevitably to be drafted as the top quarterback, Tagovailoa will likely be the second signal-caller taken off the board.

The Dolphins hold the fifth-overall pick. Staying pat is too risky. Especially when a player with Tagovailoa’s skill set and accomplishments is up for grabs. The Dolphins need to be the team to make the move, a move that could set this franchise up for success for years to come.

With the Los Angeles Chargers being quarterback-needy and only one pick behind them, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has to consider using his vast draft capital to make a move. With a league-high 14 picks, including three first-rounders, Grier can certainly get to either No. 2 or 3 overall, securing the chance to nab Tagovailoa before Los Angeles makes a similar move.

In the AFC East, there is a playoff team in the Buffalo Bills emerging with 23-year-old quarterback Josh Allen. The Jets have their young guy in second-year quarterback Sam Darnold. With the New England Patriots it’s a mystery, but they still have head coach Bill Belichick.

The only way to keep up in this division would be for the Dolphins to draft a game-changer.

Throughout his time in the SEC with the Crimson Tide, Tagovailoa was certainly that. Despite injuries during his collegiate career, the Hawaiian native threw for 87 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. Last year, Tagovailoa tossed 33 scores with three interceptions for a title-contending Alabama team before fracturing and dislocating his hip.

The year prior, Tagovailoa went for 3,966 passing yards and 43 touchdowns with six interceptions, helping the Crimson Tide roll through its competition before losing to the Clemson Tide in the National Championship.

Yes, it’s a risk. Tagovailoa is coming off a hip surgery. However, risks come with any player in the NFL. If the Dolphins are to place a bet, they should bet on a quarterback with Tagovailoa’s work ethic. He has seemed to do all the right things during his rehab process and even had the confidence to forgo another year in Alabama to go into the NFL, knowing his draft stock could have dropped.

Tagovailoa has proved to be a winner, a good decision-maker in clutch moments and has the skill set to win big on an NFL level. There’s the obvious potential to be a special player for years to come, with Tagovailoa possibly becoming the face of the AFC East down the road.

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