The injury-riddled quarterback announced his decision on Monday. Tua Tagovailoa has his sights set on the NFL.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Tua Tagovailoa announced during a press conference on Monday that he’s declaring for the 2020 NFL draft.
Tagovailoa suffered a season-ending dislocated hip this season, as the Crimson Tide continued on with Mac Jones as their quarterback.
But despite the injury, Tagovailoa’s draft stock hasn’t fallen. He’s still widely expected to be a top-10 pick and the second quarterback off the board
There’s always a risk with players like Tagovailoa though. A dislocated hip is an incredibly serious injury. It’s the same setback that ended Bo Jackson’s career.
Nonetheless, Rapoport is reporting that Tagovailoa has received nothing but positive reviews from doctors.
Tagovailoa declaring for the draft is fantastic news for the New York Giants. They’ll most likely be looking to improve their defense with either an edge rusher or a linebacker, but neither spot provides much value at No. 4 overall. With Tagovailoa declaring, the possibility of trading back becomes increasingly likely.
If the Giants were able to move back to No. 6 overall (the Chargers’ spot) and select Clemson linebacker Isaiah Simmons, it would be more palatable. The same goes with Iowa edge rusher A.J. Epenesa.
Not to mention, trading back could help the Giants recoup the picks they lost in the Leonard Williams trade. That could just be wishful thinking though. Dave Gettleman hasn’t traded down in the first three rounds in either of his drafts with the Giants.
It’ll be interesting to see if the general manager changes his tune in 2020. He now has a first-round quarterback, running back, and cornerback. It’s possible he could see the value in collecting picks to improve the overall depth of the team.