Tua Tagovailoa is one of the hottest topics leading into the April 23 NFL Draft.
The coronavirus didn’t do Tagovailoa any favors, as his injury history has been well documented and the subject of many debates. The former Alabama quarterback can’t work out for teams in person due to the virus, and it’s just a tough evaluation process for teams, considering he couldn’t perform at the NFL Combine. Sure, there’s tape, and it looks good. Still, questions persist.
Former Cleveland Browns General Manager Michael Lombardi on the “GM Shuffle” podcast echoed those sentiments, even saying that he knows of 2 NFL teams that have “flunked” Tagovailoa on the injury front ahead of the draft.
“It’s not just his hip,” Lombardi said. “It’s his ankle. It’s his wrist. He broke his wrist the first day of spring ball one year. … He’s brittle. He is brittle. You can’t deny it. He’s a really good player.
“Look, I’m not disputing the evaluation,” Lombardi said. “I’m saying that, if you’re picking a quarterback, it’s really hard to pick a good one. It’s even harder with a guy who can’t stay healthy. That’s my point. Two teams I’ve talked to have flunked him. They flunked him on not just the hip, but on the multitude of injuries. The risk far outweighs the reward.”
While some teams may see Tagovailoa as a major risk, it just takes 1 team to see him as a risk worth taking, to trade up and draft him early in the 1st round. There’s no baggage with Tagovailoa, but the injury concerns will scare some teams away.
You can listen to Lombardi’s full comments here. The Tagovailoa talk begins around 9:40.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
