As Tua Tagovailoa continues to rehab from a hip injury, the quarterback is uncertain whether he’ll enter the NFL Draft or stay at Alabama for another season. In a conversation with Cecil Hurt of TideSports.com (and passed along by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter), Tagovailoa said he’ll continue to discuss his future with his parents in anticipation of the January 20th deadline to declare for the draft.
“There is a risk and a reward if I stay and a risk and a reward if I go,” Tagovailoa said. “The risk if I stay is obviously ‘Do I get hurt again?’ The reward is that I could come back and have another good year like my sophomore year and elevate myself back to the very top of the (NFL) draft.
“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. If I go somewhere from first (overall) to around 24th, the money will be set. But let’s say — and I am just picking a number — that I go to the 31st pick. That would be about 9 million dollars. That’s a lot of money, an amount of money I’ve never had before, but it’s not high first-round money and you can never make that money up. They say you can (make it up) on your next contract but money lost is money lost to me.
“Those are the deciding factors. If my parents tell me that they think I should leave, that is obviously going to be a factor. But so far, they’ve told me that it’s my decision.”
The quarterback doesn’t have a timetable for his return from injury. Even with the ailment, we recently heard that Tagovailoa would still be a first-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Let’s check out some more draft notes:
- TCU wideout Jalen Reagor announced on Twitter that he’s entering the 2020 draft. Following a 1,000-yard campaign in 2018, Reagor finished 2019 with 43 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver is listed as the sixth-best player at his position by CBS Sports.
- Maryland RB Anthony McFarland Jr. has declared for the 2020 draft. The former redshirt sophomore still had two years of eligibility. McFarland finished his season having compiled 614 rushing yards and eight scores on 114 carries. He added another 17 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
- Missouri will be losing a trio of contributors, as defensive tackle Jordan Elliott, tight end Albert Okwuegbunam, and offensive lineman Trystan Colon-Castillo all declared for the 2020 draft. Okwuegbunam is easily Missouri’s top-rated prospect, with the tight end ranking third at his position, per CBS Sports.
- Oregon State receiver Isaiah Hodgins will enter the NFL Draft, the player announced on social media (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). The son of former NFL player James Hodgins, the Beavers wideout finished this past season with 86 receptions for 1,171 yards and 13 touchdowns. Considering the receiver depth in the upcoming draft, Hodgins will be hard pressed to be an early-round pick.
- Colorado wideout Laviska Shenault Jr. is entering the draft, the team announced on Twitter. “Laviska Shenault represented our relentless culture and was one of the most dynamic, dominant and versatile players that I have ever coached,” said head coach Mel Tucker. Shenault had 1,775 yards and 10 touchdowns between the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
Yes let’s start worrying about money lost not going higher. How about staying being crippled and not getting anything? Wow now that would SUCK.
Wtf r u talking about hahaha
He’s going top 5
This is a bit of a sham isn’t it? I mean he didn’t go to Alabama to become a doctor, lawyer or MIT type tech wizard. The money is in the pros and I’m guessing the Crimson Tide will somehow manage to stumble along without him.
Money lost is money lost, as he says, so I guess he also has to consider losing an entire season’s worth of wages if he decides not to enter this year’s draft. Will he move up enough in the draft to regain that money? I guess the answer would be “certainly” if he drops to round two, but I honestly can’t imagine that happening if he gets a clean bill of health. If he’s not healthy by draft time, then by all means, stay at Alabama for another year.
Tua should go back to Alabama. He will still make good money there and move up to the No. 1 draft spot in 2021.
Take the money. Just imho, I’d rather take $9M, and risk losing out on another $9M. than risk being poor.
Secondly, it’s a huge health risk returning to Alabama, even if he doesn’t play. Right now, all the GMs have to go on is his medical records. He won’t be expected to show any physical improvement in time for the draft.
If he returns to Alabama, then he will need to show up at the combines in 2021, and have to prove his health. If he is limping around in 2021, he becomes a low-round flyer.
So whichever team is ahead of the Pat’s in round 1 will trade out and that’s where Tua goes, if he falls that far. My guess is he goes no further than Dallas, currently 21st. A smart franchise will guarantee a 5th year at the cheaper rate. However equally dumb would be a team trading up valuable assets (Like two 2nds or another 1st) for a prospect QB coming off injury… if it’s a 1st and a 3rd for the 31st pick, you’ve done alright value-wise.
It will be interesting to see if my Raiders go after him with their second #1, which I estimate ~ #18-20. Most days, Carr looks like a good NFL QB. Some of the days, and some of the cold days, he’s a bit lost.
If Tua is healthy, he’s the guy you can invest 1-2 years in, and still come away with some value at the end of 5 years+.
Considering the need for QBs and the current group of draftable QBs, Tua should still be in the top 5 picks… Take the money you fool!
I get a bit annoyed with these college hot shots who try to con the alumni and public into thinking that they are dealing with a great amount of angst on these decisions. Their attempts are transparent and phoney. It’s like trying to bull__t the guys in the lockeroom that your having a hard time deciding whether to @#$ the head cheerleader while she is drunk or wait until she is sober and you have both had a long philosophical discussion on the meaning of life. No healthy male in his early twenties loses a second worrying that he lost out on a bit of philosophy.
Ok
Tua, as a starting QB you will earn big money, you don’t need the pressure of being in the top 10/first round.
I’d i was him I’d be happy to fall to someone like the Chargers, Patriots, Saints, Vikings or so on. You’ll have more time to rehab, be at a better franchise and learn from all time great QBs. Then when fit you’ll have a great team around you and be ready to win. You don’t want to end up on the Bengals or Redskins