Tua Tagovailoa on Monday answered the long-awaited question of whether he will leave for the 2020 NFL Draft or return for one final season at Alabama.
The third-year quarterback will forgo his senior season at Alabama and declare early for the NFL draft, he announced on Monday.
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NFL MOCK DRAFT 2020: Where will Tua Tagovailoa go after leaving Alabama?
With his declaration, Tagovailoa joins Alabama offensive tackle Jedrick Wills, receiver Jerry Jeudy and safety Xavier McKinney as players jumping early to the NFL Draft. He finishes his Alabama career having completed 474 of 684 passes (69.3 percent) for 7,442 career passing yards, 87 touchdowns to 11 interceptions and a career 199.4 passer rating.
It seems Tagovailoa's injury suffered on Nov. 16 against Mississippi State — a dislocated hip and posterior wall fracture — wasn't enough to dissuade NFL teams from giving him a first-round grade. Indeed, Alabama coach Nick Saban said on Dec. 30 that Tagovailoa was one of only a few Crimson Tide players to be given a top-15 draft grade.
The main concern following his injury against the Bulldogs was whether he would even be able to play again, but immediate action by the Alabama medical staff resulted in an "excellent" prognosis. Tagovailoa is expected to begin throwing the ball sometime in the spring.
That said, the question remains as to whether a rookie Tagovailoa will be thrown immediately into the NFL. He's "optimistic" he can play in 2020, but whichever team drafts him should give him time to adjust to NFL speed, commit the playbook to memory and, if he needs it, finish up rehab.
As for where in the draft Tagovailoa might fall, Sporting News' own mock draft lists him No. 5 overall pick, owned by the Miami Dolphins.
