Tua Tagovailoa Claims to Be Undecided About Entering 2020 NFL Draft

NFL franchises in need of a new quarterback have had their eyes set on Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa ever since his breakout performance two seasons ago in the CFP National Championship. However, his draft stock took a massive hit after suffering a dislocated hip that knocked him out for the remainder of the 2019 season.

With his chances of being selected first overall in 2020 now completely out the window, plenty have expected that Tagovailoa will still declare for the 2020 NFL Draft and even be selected in the first round. For his part, Tagovailoa hinted at his plans in an interview with Cecil Hurts of the Tuscaloosa News, saying he's "not too sure" he'll enter the 2020 NFL Draft.

Tua: “If I leave, I think the risk is a little higher. That risk would be how far do I drop in the draft. To me, it’s 50-50 between going in the first round and possibly going in the second round.” https://t.co/GySi7RSACe
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 4, 2019

“The deadline is between now and January 20 (when players must announce for the draft),” Tagovailoa said. “I’m still talking with my parents about it. I’m still not too sure. A decision could come tomorrow or I could wait and decide on the 20th of January."

Tagovailoa could conceivably stay at Alabama instead of declaring, giving the southpaw quarterback a chance to bounce back and increase his draft stock anew. Unfortunately, the risk of another injury looms large.

As for the NFL, Tagovailoa says there's a true uncertainty as to just when he'll be selected. In his mind, he could be either a late first-rounder or an early second-rounder; in the latter case, he'd lose out on millions of dollars on his rookie deal considering he has no draft insurance.

Tua Tagovailoa sat down with @KirkHerbstreit to talk about his future. “If I leave, the risk is, do I still go in the first round or do I even make it to the second round?” he said. “These guys don't even know if I can play with the hip injury yet.” https://t.co/hUHtejyrcX
— Alex Scarborough (@AlexS_ESPN) December 3, 2019

Tagovailoa suffered the terrifying hip injury on Nov. 16 against Mississippi State, but expresses no regret of taking the field, saying that head coach Nick Saban gave him the option to play and he went for it.

Tua was previously a consensus top-five pick in the upcoming draft class. Now, with question marks surrounding his rehabilitation and whether he can play at an elite level again, the third-year QB needs to take some time before he makes a big decision.