Tua Tagovailoa has been the most discussed player in the NCAA for two years and was slated to be the Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, until Joe Burrow came along.
Overall, Tua had a phenomenal college career, but after an atypical junior season, which concluded with hip surgery, where is the best landing spot for the talented young QB out of Alabama? These are the four most likely teams to draft Tua Tagovailoa.
CLICK HERE for Tua Tagovailoa’s NFL Draft Profile
3 Most Likely Teams to Draft Tua Tagovailoa
Cincinnati Bengals (#1 Overall)
The Bengals offer Tua the smallest shot at success. They don’t have a great track record of developing quarterbacks, keeping them healthy or surrounding them with talent who pans out. Both Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton were there for a long time, but neither elevated their game or were the poster child of health while in a Cincinnati uniform.
The jury is still out on the remainder of Dalton’s career, but Palmer was able to put up three of the best seasons of his career after leaving for Arizona.
Beyond just the quarterbacks, the Bengals have not proven they are much good at managing the support staff around them. This offense was once loaded with talent, but A.J. Green has not been anywhere near elite in three or four years, and did not play a single snap last season. The same can be said for Tyler Eifert, who left the team this offseason.
They also have a new coaching staff, which in and of itself is a positive thing after the 15 years of mediocrity provided by Marvin Lewis, but they were only able to win two games.
To top it all off, fans seem to want Joe Burrow. This could be a set up for disappointment if they take Tua and things don’t go well from the beginning. Fans could resent the decision and envy whatever team ends up with Burrow.
Washington Redskins (#2 Overall)
Ron Rivera is bringing a new culture to our nation’s capital. He is a well respected coach with a long standing record of success, including Super Bowl experience, and has worked with a highly-talented, dynamic quarterback before.
In addition to the returning Alex Smith, the Redskins have Dwayne Haskins, who they would likely try to trade.
They only have six other draft picks, but may have the ability to trade for more because of their position in the draft order.
The biggest problem down the line will be drawing free agents. Having Tua would automatically make the Redskins more enticing to offensive players, but Ron Rivera will have to find a way to make DC a destination on both sides of the ball.
Miami Dolphins (#5 Overall)
The first thing you have to mention is that Miami has a very promising coaching staff. Brian Flores seems to have everyone’s respect. He comes from the Bill Belichick coaching tree and was able to get his team to win five games with arguably the least amount of talent on any roster in the NFL.
They have an astonishing 14 total selections in the 2020 NFL Draft, with three of them coming in the first 26 picks. No other team on this list has more than seven.
This also happens to be the perfect time to go to the AFC East. The Bills are definitely a lasting threat, but the Jets have not taken any significant leaps forward and the Patriots seem to have taken a couple steps backwards.
Miami is also a team that NFL fans want to be good. People enjoy watching the Dolphins and would be thrilled if they went out and won the AFC East for the first time since 2008.
Some negatives to consider are an inattentive ownership group and the reality that you might end up playing in London more times than you would elsewhere.
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