2020 NFL Draft: Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa scouting report
By Ian Higgins
Mental
On the whole, Tagovailoa is a very polished passer with a good feel for the game. His ability to read defense post-snap helps his progressions and this identification assists in how he feels pressure in the pocket. This feel for the game though needs to be transitioned to his pre-snap judgments as well.
Changes in protections and play calls at the line of scrimmage will be the next step in Tagovailoa’s development as an NFL quarterback. On more than a single occasion, pre-snap blitz looks should have told Tua Tagovailoa to have the ball out of his hands within the first two seconds, but he decided to hold onto the ball in hopes of his primary read coming open and took a sack because of it.
When faced with obvious, significant pressure pre-snap, a quarterback needs to be ready to turn and throw to their checkdown unless those defenders drop into coverage.
The majority of Tagovailoa’s reads in the Alabama offense took place anywhere between -3 and 15 yards downfield, much of which were screens to his talented wideouts. These quick-hitting plays on the outside were designed as an extension of the run game. Easy completions to stretch a defense and grind the ball downfield.
On many of these plays, almost all yardage came after the completion but were still attributed to Tagovailoa, reducing the credibility of his supposed production on paper. Heavy usage of play-action also created plenty of opportunities, misdirecting defenses and creating easy completions.
One of the biggest concerns in Tagovailoa’s game is how he handles pressure from incoming pass rushers. When being rushed from his blindside or at an angle, Tagovailoa does a great job of maneuvering the pocket and climbing to a clean area to deliver the ball.
When faced with pressure in his face though, Tua Tagovailoa tends to get “happy feet” and stray from his mechanics. This head-on pressure will spell disaster for Tagovailoa in the long run if it can not be fixed, as NFL defenses will capitalize on this glaring weakness.
Much of the time when under this pressure, his feet will come together and his release will focus on quickness over effectiveness. This has resulted in numerous balls thrown short of the receiver, and Alabama has been lucky so few of these have been taken advantage of.
The final piece to Tagovailoa’s mental capacity has been his willingness to take what is given instead of look for the big play every snap. Many young quarterbacks are focused on the flash of big plays downfield, and ignore open receivers underneath who can produce with yards after the catch.
Tua Tagovailoa has made a living out of taking what is given to him by the defense and making them pay. Nick Saban and the rest of the Alabama coaching staff have done a great job of grooming Tagovailoa into the smart passer he is, and have designed a quality system to complement his strengths.