Round 1 #5 Tua Tagovailoa QB Alabama
| Miami Dolphins | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Quarterback |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 2, 1998 ʻEwa Beach, Hawaii |
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Weight: | 217 lb (98 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Saint Louis School (Honolulu, Hawaii) |
| College: | Alabama |
| NFL Draft: | 2020 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5 |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: | Unsigned draft pick |
Tua Tagovailoa (pronounced TOO-uh Tongue-OH-vai-LO-uh) became a household name as a true freshman, replacing Tide starter Jalen Hurts at the start of the second half of the 2017 National Championship Game to lead the team to a comeback victory (14 of 24, 166 yards, three TD, INT). As a follow-up, Tagovailoa won the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player of the Year awards in 2018, along with SEC Offensive Player of the Year and second-team Associated Press All-American honors. He started all 15 games, completing 69 percent of his passes (245 of 355) for 3,966 yards, 43 TDs and six INTS. His junior season was cut to nine starts (180 of 252, 71.4 percent completion rate, 2,840 yards, 33 TDs, three INTs) as he fought through an ankle issue and then suffered a hip injury that ended his season but was not considered career-threatening. It was no surprise that Tagovailoa starred early in his career in Tuscaloosa. The Hawaii High School Player of the Year in 2016 (3,932 yards, 43 passing TDs) and son of an American Samoan father was a five-star recruit and the top dual-threat quarterback nationally, as well as the MVP of the Elite 11 competition.
Talented dual-threat quarterback with winning background, explosive production and loads of experience in high-leverage games. He may be pigeon-holed into a spread or RPO-heavy attack, but he’s actually a clean fit in a pro-style attack filled with play-action and roll-outs. He has the release, accuracy and touch needed to work all three levels successfully and can become a more disciplined, full-field reader to piece the puzzle together against NFL coverages. He needs better poise when pressured, but his escapability not only moves the chains, it creates chunk plays in the air and on the ground. Teams assessing his draft value will need to sift through mounting durability concerns and decide whether he is a “face of the franchise” talent without the abundance of talent surrounding him.
- Fits the mold of NFL’s new dual-threat quarterbacks
- Career touchdown-to-interception ratio of 8:1
- Sudden ball handling on RPO plays
- Active, agile feet offer quick setups and re-sets
- Rare upper-body twitch allows for fast release
- Willing to sit and scan from the pocket
- Confident throwing to windows between hashes
- Experienced reading route combinations from play-action
- Throws short and intermediate with repeatable accuracy
- Has arm talent to make all the throws
- Eyes keep safeties out of one-on-one throws to deep sideline
- Feathery soft bucket throws to the deep boundary
- Play-action salesman on bootlegs and deep drops
- Improvisational pocket escapes
- Mobility to relocate launch point or take off to move the sticks
- Short in stature with mounting durability concerns
- Two ankle surgeries, hip surgery, broken nose and concussion as starter
- Can improve anticipatory throws and timing
- Failed to recognize easy throws to developing routes
- Inconsistent squaring feet to back-side reads
- Constricted delivery limits zip he can put on throws
- Forces open receivers to break stride more than he should
- Poise in and out of pocket can be spotty
- Hurries into frenetic throws with moderate pressure at times
- Fails to sit and finish delivery when he’s going to be hit
- Needs earlier pocket slides to stay ahead of the pressure
TDS’s Take:
The Dolphins are serious about finding a Franchise QB as they used their 5th pick in the 2020 draft to take the Alabama star QB, despite some legitimate injury concerns GM Chris Grier said that talent trumps every time sighting a former player who had injury concerns coming out of college only to have a hall of fame career Curtis Martin.
This was a very popular pick by the majority of the fan base and a smart business move.
I actually was not one of those who agreed with the pick because we have QB Josh Rosen on the roster who I felt deserves a fair chance to earn the starting QB position.
After giving it further thought I have a change of heart because “Iron Sharpens Iron” and if Miami intends to keep both and have them compete for the starting job how can anything go wrong?
Most analyst had Tua ranked as the 2nd best QB in the 2020 draft class mostly due to his injury concerns, but had he stayed healthy in college he most likely would have been the consensus #1 QB of the 2020 draft class.
Here’s to wishing you good health and longevity Tua and welcome to Miami!
The Dolphin Seer 