Tua Tagovailoa expected to be healthy, throwing for NFL teams by April

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who declared last week for the 2020 NFL Draft, is expected to be healthy by April and able to participate in a throwing workout for prospective teams.

Longtime NFL agent Leigh Steinberg, whom Tagovailoa hired last week, told AL.com on Tuesday that Tagovailoa is expected to hold about a 40-minute session in which he makes 60-80 throws in front of scouts.

If Tagovailoa is ready, that session could happen at Alabama’s pro day in March. If not, he could hold a separate pro day closer to the draft, which begins April 23 in Las Vegas.

“The [intention] there is the ball never touches the ground and I think he’s gonna blow away teams in that process,” Steinberg said.

Tagovailoa underwent surgery in November to repair a dislocated hip and associated fracture. Steinberg said Tuesday that doctors continue to be “quite sure” he will make a full recovery.

In the meantime, Tagovailoa continues to rest. He will travel to the Super Bowl in Miami next month with teammate Jerry Jeudy, who also signed with Steinberg, and take part in Steinberg’s party as well as radio row interviews.

“They’ll meet people at the Super Bowl from all areas of football -- coaches, general managers, owners,” Steinberg said. “It’s a convention of America.”

Steinberg stressed that he will maintain “very steady communication” and “transparency” with NFL teams during Tagovailoa’s recovery and pre-draft process.

“It’s total honesty with teams,” he said.

That will continue at the combine in Indianapolis beginning Feb. 25, where Tagovailoa will go through interviews with teams but will not participate in drills or throw.

But as the draft approaches, the expectation is Tagovailoa will be able to participate in a pro day and take part in individual on-campus workouts for teams.

“What Tua has going for him, incredibly, is first of all that athletes tend to have -- if they play football -- they have bodies that heal at amazing rates,” Steinberg said. "The recuperative power is not similar to an average person. They wouldn’t have made it this far in football if they were. The second thing is that he’s really young.

"You combine those two things, and we expect he will be healthy and working out by April.”

rightchea wrote:The Lions are going to want too much for Miami to move up for him. I see Burrow going #1 and Tua going #3. Miami will have to give up half of their draft to get Tua and I don't see Miami making that move. If Herbert does well in the Senior Bowl and at the Combine then he going to Miami at #5.

JMP wrote:

rightchea wrote:The Lions are going to want too much for Miami to move up for him. I see Burrow going #1 and Tua going #3. Miami will have to give up half of their draft to get Tua and I don't see Miami making that move. If Herbert does well in the Senior Bowl and at the Combine then he going to Miami at #5.

Already said this in another post, but I don't think the Lions are taking Tua. Matt Patricia needs to win now to save his job and doesn't need a rookie QB.  He needs players that can make an immediate impact, particularly on defense.  

And since we have pick #5, the cost to move up shouldn't be too high.  Whatever it is, the Phins have the ammo to make it happen and still have a bunch of picks left.

rightchea wrote:
This would be his best move. Getting the QB that everyone says that is ready day 1 in the NFL. you be crazy to pass him up. Also Matt Stafford isn't the man you want leading your team almost like Dalton.

Luke Easterling wrote:If you’re a Miami Dolphins fan who has been dreaming of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as your franchise quarterback, you’re not alone.
In fact, the Tagovailoa family is now making it known that they would prefer Tua land in Miami.
Speaking on a radio show during Super Bowl week, Tua’s father says he hopes his son lands with the Dolphins (per iHeartRadio’s Andy Slater):

JEGnj wrote:Don't care. Don't want him. He will end up damaged goods in Miami.

“I’ll be participating in the Combine, but my main goal is not to win the 40, not to win the bench press, but to win my medical,” he told NFL Network. “I’m going to go over there looking to win my medical and then go in and interview with the teams. That’s pretty much what I’m going to do. And then hopefully there’s a pro day down the line, either late March or early April.”

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said Thursday he would be “more than happy” if the Dolphins selected him in April’s draft and that he will be physically able to play in the 2020 season if a team wants to use him as a rookie.

He told me “I will be ready to play” in 2020, but “if I had the chance to sit behind a veteran quarterback and learn from him, I would be more than willing to do so.”

He told Fox Sports’ “First Things First” that he doesn’t know how high he will be drafted because “it’s just hard [to project], especially with the injury. No one can really tell if it’s going to heal correctly, [or] if it isn’t.”

He said “every team has health concerns, whether it’s my ankle, my hip.”

Darin Gantt wrote:Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa believes he could start right away if need be.
But his agent, who has been around a few quarterbacks in his day, thinks sitting for a year might be the best thing for his client.
Longtime agent Leigh Steinberg told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that he thinks not starting immediately might have benefits.
“I will tell you that Patrick Mahomes [was] greatly helped . . . by the fact that he had a year to learn and he learned behind Alex Smith, and Alex Smith was a generous mentor,” Steinberg said, mentioning another client of his who happens to be playing this weekend. “It takes the right personality in the existing quarterback to bring along the next young quarterback, but if you look at Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, Philip Rivers, none of them started the first year and my wish for Tua would be that he would go to a team that would give him a year to learn the system and do everything before the pressure of being a starting quarterback was upon him.

rightchea wrote:

So from what it sounds like Tua might not be ready at all to start. I see the benefits of sitting behind a vet like Fitzpatrick and him learning from a leader but at the same time I kinda skeptical about his health and if they are trying to say something in between the lines.

mercury22nathan wrote:
so one minute he's telling us its coming along fine and the next he's not even sure if it will heal correctly (ever?).  truth is, only time will tell and it too early to know anything just yet.

rightchea wrote:

I agree I would rather Miami either get Herbert or wait til next year for a QB

DolFan 316 wrote:I just can't see the difference between picking Tua in the top 5 and waiting until next year to take a QB. Either way a rookie QB wouldn't be playing for this team in 2020 so what's the real difference other than giving someone four years' worth of money to only play for three, and even that's a huge maybe?

JMP wrote:Let's face it...we're not getting the first overalll pick in 2021, which means we're not getting Trevor Lawrence.  Fact is, 2020 is the one season where we will be in position to draft a franchise QB.  We may never have that opportunity again.

DolFan 316 wrote:

JMP wrote:Let's face it...we're not getting the first overalll pick in 2021, which means we're not getting Trevor Lawrence.  Fact is, 2020 is the one season where we will be in position to draft a franchise QB.  We may never have that opportunity again.

Which is why Grier needs to at least make an offer to the Bengals for Burrow.

rightchea wrote:The issue is going to be the Lions. I not saying they are going to draft Tua but there are a lot of team that would benefit from having Tua and the Lions GM knows it. I see a lot of team willing and dealing if Tua does well in the draft.