NFL Execs Drawing the Line With Injury Concerns at Tua Tagovailoa is Beyond Laughable
By Andrew Gullotta
As we inch closer to Thursday's NFL Draft, we continue to hear the injury concerns of Tua Tagovailoa. The former Alabama signal-caller had hip surgery back in November. He also broke his index finger in Spring Practice back in 2018.
Bleacher Report's Matt Miller wrote on Friday that Tua could "absolutely fall in this draft because of injury concerns," and went on to say that there is a "growing buzz" that the Dolphins will take Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert instead of Tagovailoa.
Seeing through the Dolphins’ draft smoke: Tua, Herbert or potentially an offensive tackle at pick No. 5? Here's what it all really means... https://t.co/MjVL03qAHz pic.twitter.com/lQNYL5ZYoe
— Safid Deen ???? (@Safid_Deen) April 18, 2020
NFL scouts and front offices may be taking the Hawaii native's injury concerns a little too far. Countless amount of times, we have seen prospects with these issues taken high in the draft at positions that require more stress on the body than quarterback.
For example, Bears linebacker Roquan Smith was picked inside the top 10 after he was medically flagged by several teams. I think we can all agree that linebacker is a position that takes more of a physical beating than quarterback.
Sometimes, teams even reached for a player with injury concerns, as the Buccaneers did with defensive tackle Vita Vea after he had a hamstring injury that kept him out of Washington's Pro Day. Vea was selected 12th in the 2018 draft after draft experts expected him to fall to the mid 20s.
The hatred of Tua Tagovailoa is at an all-time high. Wonderlic, future of his hip, I don't care. Tua's healthy right now & he's the most talented QB in the draft. Is his future health a risk? Sure. But EVERY draft pick carries risk. I'll take him and have an elite franchise QB.
— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) April 18, 2020
Even though Tua's injury concerns are valid, it should not cause teams to completely throw his name off their draft board. He is a player with generational skills who can turn around any team.