With each new video showcasing his amazing recovery following last year’s devastating, season-ending hip injury suffered just four months ago, the hype around Tua Tagovailoa continues to grow.

That may be accurate to say but ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. believes Tagovailoa will still have a lot to prove in the eyes of some NFL teams, regardless of how well the quarterback managed to quickly bounce back from his tough injury.

In fact, Kiper even dropped Tagovailoa in his latest mock draft from No. 3 down to No. 5 overall, but the draft analyst explained that had more to do with a trade he predicted that likely won’t happen now following some free agency signings.

When asked to share his thoughts on the latest Tagovailoa videos trending online, Kiper shared his opinion that the quarterback will still have lingering questions regarding the 2020 season — although Kiper also noted that essentially redshirting an NFL season is not that uncommon for elite passers.

“Well, you gotta like what you see. But the thing is, even if medically gets cleared by the doctors and everything looks good, you still have that durability concern, it’s still there Greenie — there’s three lower extremity injuries,” Kiper said during a recent appearance on ESPN show “Get Up.” So, I think you look at it and say, ‘Okay, redshirting that first year.’

“Five of the active winningest signal-callers in the NFL, four of those didn’t even play as a rookie. Okay, we know Patrick Mahomes only played that final game [of his rookie season], Lamar Jackson played late after [Joe] Flacco was banged up. So you think about two last MVPs didn’t play much [early in their NFL careers] except late for Jackson, and that one game for Mahomes.

“I said four of the top five active didn’t play at all. I think you medically redshirt Tua, regardless of how he looked, regardless of what your medical people say, let his body heal, get him ready for 2021. I think that’s the best course of action, if you draft Tua in that top five.”

If Tagovailoa pans out and is the next great NFL quarterback, even if he sits out a season, he will prove to be a great selection by the team that takes him in the upcoming draft but what happens if that team loses a top 5 selection and gets nothing in return due to the QB’s inability to stay on the field?

That’s something Kiper believes NFL teams are likely mulling at this moment.