Tua Tagovailoa can be a leader for the Miami Dolphins
By James Reeve
The question of who the future Miami Dolphins starting quarterback will be has been answered, with Tua Tagovailoa being selected fifth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
With the Miami Dolphins addressing the most important position in the sport, new questions have begun to arise around what the team now has in Tua Tagovailoa.
Tagovailoa is the guy expected to lead the team forward for the next decade, being ‘the guy’ to end years of mediocrity and disappointments that have become the norm since the end of the 20th century.
It is clear to all what the Dolphins have from a talent perspective, with Tagovailoa’s college stats speaking for themselves to some degree.
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As a sophomore with former Dolphins head coach Nick Saban‘s Alabam Crimson Tide, Tagovailoa completed 69% of pass attempts, throwing for an impressive 43 touchdowns to just six interceptions, falling just shy of the 4000 passing yards mark with 3966.
He won SEC Offensive Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award (Best All-Around Player) and Walter Camp Award (Player of the Year) after the 2018 season, having usurped Jalen Hurts’ position as a starter and leading the Crimson Tide to the National Championship the previous year.
The 2019 season saw Tagovailoa increase his accuracy to 71.%, throwing for 2840 yards, scoring 33 touchdowns to just three interceptions through the air in nine games before suffering the well-documented hip injury that kept him out for the rest of the year.
The 6-foot-1, 218lbs left-handed passer has all the talent in the world and has high expectations entering the NFL, being likened to Drew Brees for his size and style of play.
But his physical tools and playing ability are just some of the factors that the Miami Dolphins considered when they made the decision to select him with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft.
Head coach Brian Flores has come to Miami to make an impact and turn the organisation around, not just from a results perspective.
The Dolphins have had a poor reputation in recent years for their in-house culture and locker room atmosphere, with regular losing seasons and a bullying scandal a few years ago still holding a dark cloud over the franchise.
When I see him compared to Steve Young, I think Tua’s ceiling is even higher. – Ron Evans
Flores has arrived and is working to breathe new life and a new attitude into the Dolphins, bringing in players that are not only good football players, but are good people and have certain personality traits.
For Tagovailoa, this should be viewed as a huge seal of approval, as one of the top comments made about him coming out of college was his leadership qualities and his work ethic.
The Dolphins had a steady quarterback for a number of years in Ryan Tannehill, but while he was the ‘leader’ of the offence during that time, he was never truly viewed as a real outspoken leader.
Tagovailoa looks like a guy that will not only bring a lot of talent to the Dolphins organisation but one that will hype up his teammates and get people raring to go on game days – something the team desperately needs moving forward.
Ron Evans, the Site Expert for FanSided’s Bama Hammer and someone that has watched Tagovailoa closely during his college career, had some high praise for the young quarterback and commented on what he can bring to the organisation.
He explained: “Tua may be the most talented QB ever to play for the Crimson Tide. What the Dolphins got with Tua is a natural leader and, at least, a QB with generational talent.”
He added: “I don’t buy the injury-prone claims. I just hope the Dolphins can improve their offensive line enough to give Tua adequate protection.”
The Dolphins are building a team the right way, solidifying the trenches through the draft, bringing in veterans in free agency and ensuring that Coach Flores has guys that he can trust and knows will bring a positive attitude and atmosphere to the dressing room.
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The most intriguing prospect added to the team also appears to be a guy that can fit into the mould that Flores is looking for, meaning that he will have an eager, energetic young player that is willing to learn and put in the effort required to become the next great passer seen in the 305.
While Tagovailoa won’t have much of a chance to show off his leadership qualities during his rookie season, there’s every reason to believe that the Miami Dolphins have landed themselves a player that is much more than just talent and upside and can be a real standard-setter from both a playing and personal point of view.