Tua Tagovailoa: If not the Dolphins or Chargers, then who?
What if the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers pass on Tua Tagovailoa? What would be the best landing spot for the former Alabama QB?
Tua Tagovailoa has number one overall pick football skills and intangibles. He might be crossed off some teams’ boards completely due to his medical history, however.
Where is he going to land in the 2020 NFL Draft?
In all likelihood, Tua will land somewhere in the top 10 picks, but it might not be with the team or teams most people have been assuming all along.
Throughout much of the offseason, Tagovailoa has been projected to land with the Miami Dolphins either at the fifth overall pick which they currently own or with the third overall pick in a trade with the Detroit Lions.
In any scenario where Tua does not land with the Dolphins, he’s predicted to go just one pick later to the Los Angeles Chargers who let Philip Rivers go to the Indianapolis Colts this offseason.
No one knows what the Dolphins want to do with rumors swirling that they have expressed interest in the top overall pick of the draft as well as Oregon QB Justin Herbert.
No one ever knows what the Chargers are doing, as was perfectly explained by NFL Network’s Peter Schrager.
If the Dolphins go Herbert, the Chargers go... ?
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) April 13, 2020
I've heard Tua, OT, Derrick Brown, and Simmons from other teams.
One great quote to sum it up, from a source: "Tom Telesco has never told anyone anything about his picks, ever, so just throw a dart and roll with that."
So what happens if the Dolphins go Herbert and the Chargers go with someone like an offensive lineman, Derrick Brown, or Isaiah Simmons?
That’s not out of the realm of possibility, and it opens up a lot of really fascinating options for other teams to come swoop up into the 7th or 8th overall spot and take Tua.
The Carolina Panthers could take him at 7 overall, but how much sense would that make after they just signed Teddy Bridgewater? It seems like the Panthers signed Bridgewater to be more than, well, a bridge.
The Cardinals are not taking Tua with the 8th overall pick, but their selection could be a hot spot for teams looking to trade up, whether it’s for a player like Tua, an offensive tackle, a cornerback, or a wide receiver.
Who trades up?
What about the Las Vegas Raiders, who have two selections in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft?
The Raiders have committed to Derek Carr in recent years, but just how committed they are remains to be seen. If a player like Tua were to enter the realm of possibility for them, would they really pass on him?
We know that Raiders head coach Jon Gruden loves his quarterbacks, and a player like Tua? There’s no doubt that Gruden would be head over heels for a guy like this. Tua also fits the high character criteria that general manager Mike Mayock has implemented in recent years.
The big question is obviously Tua’s health, but with a pair of first-round picks, it’s a risk the Raiders might be willing to take.
Keep in mind — this is merely a hypothetical situation being thrown out, and there are probably a number of teams interested in bringing Tua aboard their programs. Another option would be the Dolphins taking an offensive lineman with the 5th overall pick and then trading up from pick number 18 to take Tua somewhere in the top 10 picks.
They certainly have the capital to work the board however they want to do so, and they should be looking for ways to use that draft capital to identify and pursue players they specifically want.
Next. 2020 NFL mock draft: 3 rounds with trades. dark
The safest bets remain Miami and Los Angeles for landing spots for Tua Tagovailoa, but don’t rule out something crazy going down next Thursday night with him ending up somewhere we completely didn’t expect.