Tua Tagovailoa was the quarterback every team wanted before the start of the 2019 college football season, but that would ultimately be the last quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“Tank for Tua” was in full swing. But his severe hip injury and broken nose in the game against Mississippi State derailed his draft stock. Needless to say, the coronavirus pandemic started and the draft process was completely turned off. The draft itself was held entirely virtually for the first time.
Most draft experts believed Tagovailoa would be taken early in the first round even with the injury, but it was just a matter of timing. Joe Burrow was the first to leave, followed by Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, and Andrew Thomas. The Dolphins then selected Tagovailoa with the fifth pick in the 2020 draft.
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Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins attempts a pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 31, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Tagovailoa said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital that if he was healthy he could have been one of the first three selected, but the injury won’t keep him out of the first round. He said that he felt a sense of anxiety creeping in.
“I think there were some unique trades going on in my particular draft class because, in part, it was COVID. COVID was going on,” he said. . “And, secondly, I was also plagued with injuries leading up to the draft. I injured my hip, but I also broke my nose at the same time. I was in a gray area as well. OK, if I I know that if he was healthy, he could have had a chance to be a first-round draft pick, second- or third-round pick outside of the top five.”
“But for me, just because of the injuries and just because the players that played were healthy and they had a really good season in that draft, they were put in the first round. “There was some fear and doubt that there weren’t going to be quarterbacks going into that draft,” he continued.
Tagovailoa added that he breathed a sigh of relief when he heard his name called at No. 5.
“So when I actually got the call, when I could hear my name called on the ticker or hear someone calling me, [Commissioner] “Roger Goodell, I can breathe a sigh of relief,” Tagovailoa said. “But I think people don’t really understand, like, once you get called up and you’re a first-round draft pick, there’s so much more to it than that.” It comes with having the right. ”
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Tua Tagovailoa reveals the lining of his jacket after being drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (NFL, via Getty Images)
“You have the weight of that organization, that team to keep you on the right path… I mean, no one cares how young you are,” he said. “Nobody cares about that. They want to know what you can do for us right now. So for me, all of that is running through my head. 2020 has been a roller coaster for as long as I can remember. ”
Anticipation for Tagovailoa’s addition is sky-high, with Dolphins fans hoping to see the next Dan Marino on the field at Hard Rock Stadium.
During his rookie season, he split time with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but then his second year was interrupted by injury. In his third year and his fourth year, he showed what he can do with the right game plan and weapons around him.
He talked about managing all the expectations of those around him.
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tua tagovailoa (Brandon Slotter/Sports Images/Getty Images/File)
“I’m about to enter my fifth year in this profession. I think the person you were last year is different from the person you are this year. The person you were two years ago is a completely different person.” [than] You were exactly that person last year,” he told FOX News Digital, “and I think the same is true for me.”
“I wish I had known when I was new what I know now. In these professions, you have to deal with people and you have to take on leadership roles. It’s quick to learn, but I think it’s cooler after that.” It means you’re always growing and always evolving. That’s the nature of the animal in any profession that involves competition or anything else.
“For me, the way I dealt with this was just being able to understand, hey, none of this is going to go away. While I’m playing, none of this is going to go away.” But yeah You know, as you get older and you start to move away from the best areas of your playing days, that’s probably going to start to wane.
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“For me, I think this is what the union is. That’s what it is. What are you going to do about it? That’s kind of the mindset I have with this union.”
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