2020 NFL Draft News & Rumors

After receiving good news on his voluntary medical re-check, Tua Tagovailoa says his surgically-repaired hip is completely healed, as NFL.com’s Steve Wyche writes. 

“I feel 100 percent,” the Alabama quarterback said. “I feel like if there was a game today, I’d be able to go out and perform the same way I was able to perform in previous years. I feel as mobile as possible. I feel 100 percent.”

Tagovailoa’s reps have echoed similar sentiments in recent days. They say that Tagovailoa is looking strong despite the devastating injury and grueling rehab he’s been through. So far, NFL teams seem to agree, and that could pave the way for him to be one of the top picks in the April draft.

For months, Tagovailoa has been linked to the Dolphins, who hold the No. 5 overall pick. That may represent his floor in the draft, but it’s also possible that another team could leapfrog the ‘Fins to take the Alabama star, who was once projected to be the No. 1 overall pick. It seems unlikely that the Bengals will pass up the opportunity to take Joe Burrow No. 1 overall, or that the Redskins would trade the No. 2 pick and lose out on a generational talent in Chase Young, but the Lions could theoretically move out of the No. 3 pick and try to snag Ohio State corner Jeff Okudah – their rumored target – further down the board. The Giants, who hold the No. 4 pick, are also a candidate to trade back.

As a fully healthy sophomore, Tagovailoa had scouts drooling as he threw for almost 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns against only six interceptions. In that season, he was the runner-up for the Heisman trophy behind Kyler Murray.

Earlier today, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa underwent a voluntary medical re-check facilitated by the league office and an independent doctor. The results were “overwhelmingly positive,” according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter).

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All 32 of the NFL’s team doctors and trainers were allowed to provide input on what exams they wanted to see conducted and those suggestions were blended to create a comprehensive exam for Tagovailoa, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that the results have been shared every team in the league, Tua’s reps say that the QB has tackled all of his medical obligations.

Many see the Dolphins at No. 5 overall as Tagovailoa’s floor. If he slips past the ‘Fins, he probably won’t fall too much further, especially after today’s thumbs-up medical.

Before Tagovailoa’s devastating hip injury and subsequent surgery, he was widely regarded as the most promising QB in the 2020 class. He’s no longer in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick – that mantle almost certainly belongs to LSU’s Joe Burrow – but his future remains bright.

“He’s moving really, really well,” Chris Cabott, co-agent to the QB, said recently. “To this point, we don’t have any medical concerns. Obviously in any given situation, it’s a day-by-day situation, but his road to return has not been interrupted.” 

Meanwhile, theTagovailoa has remained focus on the road to recovery.

“My main goal is not to win the 40, not to win the bench press, but to win my medical,” Tagovailoa said earlier this year. “I’m going to go over there looking to win my medical and then go in and interview with the teams. That’s pretty much what I’m going to do. And then hopefully there’s a pro day down the line, either late March or early April.”

Though pre-draft visits for collegiate prospects have been scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the draft itself is still going to take place as scheduled. As such, teams will not have as much intel as they would like prior to draft night, so players with medical and/or character red flags may find themselves slipping down draft boards.

One such player is Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Though it would be surprising to see him fall too far past the Dolphins’ No. 5 overall selection, the individual pro day that Tagovailoa was supposed to hold on April 9 has been canceled, as Mike Rodak of AL.com notes, so that’s one less piece of critical information that interested teams will have.

Similarly, clubs that could be in the market for the southpaw signal-caller will not be able to evaluate him during medical re-checks that were supposed to take place shortly before the April 23 draft. So the team that drafts Tagovailoa will be taking a leap of faith that his surgically repaired hip will not jeopardize his professional career.

On the plus side, reports last month indicated that Tagovailoa’s MRIs showed that his fracture is healed and that there has been no loss of blood flow. Last week, videos of him dropping back and throwing passes were posted to his Instagram account, and his reps have obviously passed along glowing reviews.

“He’s moving really, really well,” said co-agent Chris Cabott, who also indicated that the response from NFL teams has been overwhelmingly positive. “To this point, we don’t have any medical concerns. Obviously in any given situation, it’s a day-by-day situation, but his road to return has not been interrupted.” 

As Rodak suggests, Tagovailoa could schedule a live-streamed or taped version of his individual pro day, and while no plans have yet been made in that regard, Cabott said he would continue working with individual teams to make sure they have as thorough of an evaluation as possible. That includes FaceTime, Zoom, or WebEx interviews, and continuing imaging scans, which Cabott said would be provided to teams upon request.

So Tagovailoa’s prospects still appear to be on an upward trajectory. As of now, look for him to hear his name called within the first five picks of next month’s draft, with the Dolphins, Redskins, Chargers (and even Bengals) looming as potential landing spots.