2020 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins Prefer Justin Herbert To Tua Tagovailoa
2020 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins Prefer Justin Herbert To Tua Tagovailoa
2020 NFL Mock Draft: Dolphins Prefer Justin Herbert To Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins prefer Oregon’s Justin Herbert to Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, it appears.
For the past year, Dolphins brass has quietly whispered about their interest in one day drafting Tagovailoa.
Even when LSU star Joe Burrow was having one of the best quarterbacking years in recent memory, Miami was steadfast in its appreciation of Tagovailoa.
The Dolphins were so closely linked to Tagovailoa that people legitimately thought they were tanking all year just for the right to select him.
The injury changed everything.
Unfortunately, everything changed when Tagovailoa suffered a hip injury midway through last season.
Suddenly, the entire plan was in doubt.
Miami has the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, but it is no longer a certainty that Tagovailoa will be their guy.
According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins now have a “lukewarm” opinion of the Alabama star.
Herbert may be the Dolphins’ man now.
Instead, the organization seems to have really fallen in love with Herbert, who had a tremendous showing at the Senior Bowl a few weeks back.
“One source said the Dolphins are not just concerned about Tagovailoa’s return to full health from the fractured and dislocated hip he suffered last November, but also about his durability in the long-term beyond the current injury,” the Miami Herald wrote recently.
Miami’s change of opinion regarding Tagovailoa is surprising only because of its timing, not its rationale.
Tagovailoa really has dealt with a variety of injuries over the course of his collegiate career, and last season’s hip injury was unquestionably the worst one.
It is very debatable whether Tagovailoa will still be the same player when he returns.
Given the cost of acquiring him this high in the draft, it is certainly understandable why the Dolphins would be skeptical.
There is still time, though.
All that being said, there is still a ton of time between now and mid-April when the draft occurs.
It is very possible that Tagovailoa will recover fully, have an excellent pro day and show that he has fully bounced back from his injury.
If that were occur, maybe he reclaims his spot in Miami’s heart over Herbert.
Either way, there may be alternative options.
Even if the Dolphins do ultimately end up going with Herbert over Tagovailoa, the two teams drafting directly after them also need a new franchise quarterback.
It would not be shocking at all to see the Los Angeles Chargers who selecting sixth or the Carolina Panthers who picking seventh to take a shot on Tagovailoa if he is still on the board when their turns come up.
Related: Daytona 500 Crash Horrifies NASCAR Fans
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
