Miami Dolphins 2020 Draft Profile: Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

Tua Tagovailoa has been on the minds of Dolphins fans for a while. What are the chances that they get him and should they trade up for the talented QB?

Our look into some of the top draft prospects of 2020 continues with a look at one of the more intriguing players in this year’s class. This series has already looked at the Dolphins’ chances of getting top players like Joe Burrow and Chase Young. Now, it’s time to look at Tua.

Tua Tagovailoa, QB Alabama

2019 stats: 2840 YDS, 33 TDs, 3 INTs

Chances for the Dolphins to draft him: Medium to High

Nobody can deny Tua’s talent. He demonstrated a killer poise when he took over for Jalen Hurts in the National Championship game. He showed he could compete at the highest level in the toughest conference in college football and put up numbers one would expect from a top quarterback. His talent is off the charts. Yet, there is still a tad bit of hesitation when it comes to taking him and it should be pretty obvious.

Tua’s injury history is well documented. He’s had a few ankle injuries, a knee problem and of course the season-ending hip injury that complicated his draft status. All of these injuries should be concerning for any team taking him. When healthy, he’s an out of this world talent with a great arm both in power and accuracy and he can make plays with his legs. He’s everything you want in a quarterback. The problem is that he isn’t healthy and hasn’t proven to be a player who can stay healthy for a whole season and that should be concerning for the Dolphins more than most teams.

The Dolphins need a quarterback to really help rebuild this franchise. But, if they’re going to put an injury-prone guy like Tua on this team, they are going to need a rock-solid offensive line and, as of now, they don’t have that. Miami has tons of capital in the draft and money to spend in free agency, so the chances are good that they build a competent offensive line. Until they do, however, they will need to really think about what could happen to an injury-prone quarterback running for his life behind a weak line.

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That’s not the only hesitation to drafting Tua and that could easily be addressed in free agency to an extent. The next question is whether or not Tua will be available at 5. It’s really hard to say and is really dependent on too many factors out of the Dolphins control. Detroit could take him at 3 and send Matthew Stafford packing. Somebody could trade for Washington’s pick and secure a quarterback for the future. More so than in any draft, we just don’t know anything yet (it might become more clear as the months go on and Tua’s recovery continues). With all that up in the air, it begins to look more and more likely that Miami will have to trade up for him.

If you read any of my other pieces on either Joe Burrow or Chase Young, you should know my feelings toward trading up. For the sake of being repetitive, I’ll recap: Miami has holes on the roster and needs picks to fill them. Miami would more than likely have to move up to 3 in order to get Tua. While it’s not a huge jump for a position of need, the price may be high. The best perspective I can provide is the cost for the Jets to move up to take Sam Darnold.

New York moved up from 6 to 3 and in doing so they swapped 1sts and gave up three second-round picks. New York ended up getting Darnold and, instead of drafting players, filled the needs on the roster with free-agent signings. Unfortunately, Miami may have to give up a package of picks somewhat similar to the haul the Jets got rid of to move up to 3 to take Tua. Three second-round picks is a lot for a team that needs some major rebuilding, so for me, that’s too high to pay. If he’s there at 5, however, is no way I’m passing if I’m in charge. His talent level is off the charts, and with those picks, Miami didn’t trade, they can build an offensive line to protect him once his recovery is complete.

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