tua tagovailoa Every team wanted a quarterback before the start of the 2019 college football season, which would ultimately be his last with the Alabama Crimson Tide.
“Tank for Tua” was in full swing. But a serious hip injury and broken nose against Mississippi State hampered his draft stock. Not to mention, the start of the coronavirus pandemic completely threw off the draft process. The entire draft was conducted virtually for the first time.
Most draft experts believed that despite the injury, Tagovailoa would be taken in the first round – it was just a matter of when. Joe Burrow was first off the board, followed by Chase Young, Jeff Okudah and Andrew Thomas. The Dolphins then selected Tagovailoa with the No. 5 pick. 2020 draft,
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Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins looks to pass against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on December 31, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, Tagovailoa said that if he had been healthy he could have been one of the first three selected and there was some fear that he would be held out of the first round due to injuries.
He said, “I think for my particular draft class, I had a unique deal going on because, for one, it was COVID. There was COVID going on.” “And then, two, I was also dealing with an injury before the draft. I hurt my hip, and then, at the same time, I also broke my nose. I was also in this gray area, right, I know. That if I had been healthy, I could have had an opportunity to be the first draft pick or second or third, you know, outside of the top five.”
“But for me, because of the injuries and just because the guys that played were healthy, there was some fear and doubt about not being in the first round, and they had really good seasons to come into that draft — the quarterbacks that Coming out in the draft,” he continued.
Tagovailoa said he felt a sigh of relief when he heard his name called fifth.
“So, when I got the call, when I found out my name was going to be called on the ticker or called by (Commissioner) Roger Goodell, there was a sigh of relief,” Tagovailoa said. “But then, I don’t think people really understand, like, once you get called up, and you’re a first-round draft pick, there’s a lot more that goes into your being a first-round draft pick. Comes with.”
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Tua Tagovailoa shows off his jacket lining during the first round of the NFL Draft on April 23, 2020. (NFL via Getty Images)
“The onus is on that organization, that team, to take steps in the right direction for you… like, no one cares how young you are,” he said. “No one cares about that. They want to know what you can do for us now. So, for me, all that’s going on in my mind, and I feel the pressure to step up and try to be that.” “I can be a superstar and do amazing things for the team. It was a little bit up and down during my draft year, as I can remember, these were some of the emotions I felt that year in 2020.”
There are high expectations for Tagovailoa’s arrival and Dolphins fans are also anticipating the next dan marino Will step onto the field at Hard Rock Stadium.
During his rookie season, he spent time with Ryan Fitzpatrick, and then injuries hampered his sophomore year. In Years 3 and 4, he showed what he could do with the right game plan and the weapons around him.
He talked about managing all the expectations around him.
tua tagovailoa (Brandon Slaughter/Sports Image/Getty Images/File)
“I’m going into my fifth year with my profession. I would say, the person you were last year is a different person than the person you are this year. The person you were two years ago is a completely different person. That person Which you were last year,” he told Fox News Digital. “And I would say the same is true for me.”
“I wish I knew what I knew when I was a newbie. In these businesses, dealing with people, being in leadership roles – you learn to grow up fast, but then I think it’s good to talk about it.” It’s also that you’re always growing, you’re always evolving. It’s the nature of the beast… to be in any profession that involves competition and other things.
“For me, the way I’ve been able to deal with it is just being able to come to the realization that, buddy, none of this is going to go away. As you’re playing, none of this That’s going to go away. But yes, as you get older, and you start moving out of the prime of your playing days, that’s probably where it’s going to end.
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“I think for me, it’s just, dude, here’s the state of the union. It is what it is. What are you going to do about it? That’s just how I feel about it.”
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