Hawaiian born Tua Tagovailoa could have been the top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft if an injury did not derail his season at Alabama. His stock has fallen a bit, but the lower-body injury seems to have healed and Tua will go early in the draft regardless.
The Dolphins, who may surprise some and compete for an AFC East title in 2020, are in need of a franchise quarterback to truly get things rolling. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh Rosen are fine options, but they aren’t the long-term solution. Brian Flores will get his man in Tagovailoa, even though there has been some chatter that Miami also likes Oregon’s Justin Herbert.
At Alabama, Tagovailoa replaced fellow 2020 Draft prospect Jalen Hurts, who then transferred to Oklahoma. As a true freshman Tua stepped in at the start of the second half of the 2017 National Championship Game to lead the Crimson Tide to a comeback victory, going 14-of-24 with 166 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
The next season, he won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year Award as he had 3,966 yards to go along with 43 touchdowns and only six interceptions. That is when “Tank for Tua” began in full swing, with many viewing Miami as the premiere destination all along. Luckily for the Dolphins, he could fall to No. 5 instead of No. 1.
Tagovailoa’s junior season was cut short to only nine games but he completed 71.4 percent of his passes for 2,840 yards, 33 touchdowns and three picks.