Mel Kiper Jr. Has a Wildly Bold Prediction About Tua Tagovailoa's Draft Projection

Given that all sports are paused until further notice, football fans can take solace in the fact that the NFL Draft is just one month away. Mock drafts are pouring in and perhaps the biggest enigma of the whole process is Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

The southpaw suffered a gnarly hip dislocation this past November, putting his football career in question. But a video clip on Monday showed just how quickly Tagovailoa has progressed in his rehab.

Tagovailoa's draft stock had to have increased after this, right? Well, ESPN's draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. believes the signal caller will drop down to the fifth overall pick, currently held by the Miami Dolphins.

Kiper is known to change his mind leading up to the draft, so this shouldn't come as a stunning revelation. On his very last mock draft, Kiper had Tagovailoa going third overall to the Detroit Lions. Now? Kiper has the Lions going with Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah instead.

Given how important the quarterback position is in today's NFL, it's difficult to envision Tagovailoa dropping down to the No. 5 pick. Teams like the Dolphins or Los Angeles Chargers, both of whom are looking to select their quarterback of the future, will call the Lions or the New York Giants (No. 4 pick) to discuss a trade-up.

Tagovailoa was viewed as the perennial first overall pick prior to his hip injury. While that won't happen due to the rise of Joe Burrow, Tua is destined to be drafted before the fifth selection of the first round. You can bank on that.