Former Alabama star Tua Tagovailoa enters his rookie season with questions about his health, but that didn’t stop the Miami Dolphins from selecting him in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Dolphins were certainly high on him when they chose him with the No. 5 pick, but former NFL quarterback and analyst Chris Simms doesn’t view him the same.
Simms listed Tagovailoa 40th among NFL quarterbacks, which is quite shocking since there are only 32 NFL teams. Basically, Tua is also listed behind some back-up quarterbacks.
“Talent is certainly there in a lot of areas,” Simms tweeted. “Definitely a leader that guys gravitate to. We all know the injury Qs. Will also see how he does when he doesn’t have all the best players on the field with him like he did at Alabama.”
Simms then went on Pro Football Talk Live to explain his reasoning:
“We watch enough football to know and be able to project people,” Simms said. “Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama, the No. 5 pick to Miami, he certainly deserves to be one of the top quarterbacks in football. People argued with me two years ago, before Patrick Mahomes played, I put him at 32. Last year, we put Kyler Murray in the top 40. … Tua, you know I certainly have my doubts about him and concerns but there’s still certainly a lot to like about the football player. Even without stepping on a field in the NFL, he is definitely worth being one of the top-40 quarterbacks in football. Good athlete.”
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He continued:
“He’s certainly better than some of the backup quarterbacks in football (right now),” Simms said. “I know that. Do I have my concerns about whether he’s going to live up to the worthiness of that top-five pick and be a guy that can carry a football team on his shoulders and make plays when nothing is happening? Yes, I am concerned about that. But at the very least, I know he’s got the talent to play in the league as far as foot quickness, able to move in the pocket, quick release, good arm. Not great arm.”
Despite his comments, Tagovailoa has a chance to be one of the top NFL rookies in 2020.
