Less Than 10 Days Away, 5 Things Alabama Fans Need to Know about the 2020 NFL Draft

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has become the talk of the first round as the speculation grows about where he'll end up

The 2020 NFL Draft is quickly approaching and so is the anticipation. While it'll be unlike any draft we've experienced before, done completely from people's homes across the nation, the angst hasn't changed at all. 

For example, over the weekend there was a sudden wave of negatively regarding former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, with one former NFL official going so far as to call him 'brittle."

Let's just say the critics have already been silenced.

Here are five things Alabama fans need to know as we head into the home stretch for this year's draft: 

1) Nick Saban chimes in about Tagovailoa

During an interview on ESPN's SportsCenter, Nick Saban said that Tagovailoa's problem isn't durability, it's that he has a hard time giving up on plays.

"I think that Tua's a very instinctive guy and I think that translates to any league, any time," Saban said. "So ... he could read all the way from his left, all the way back to his right and throw a touchdown pass and this ... happens on just about every play because he understands the offense very well. He's a very instinctive player. He's very active with the ball. He gets rid of the ball quickly.

"So I think it's going to translate extremely well because that's really what that game is really all about. So he can read coverages, he's bright, he's smart and I think the biggest thing is he's instinctive and accurate and he's a very good leader."

Saban also did film-study segments on both Tagovailoa and LSU quarterback Joe Burrow for EPSN+ (pay section).

“I think Tua and Joe are outstanding athletes and will be very successful as quarterbacks in the NFL,” Saban said. “Joe has great vision. He does a good job with pre-snap reads and knowing where he needs to go with the ball. And Tua is very instinctive, with a lot of smarts and great touch and accuracy on his throws. I’m looking forward to watching both of them in the NFL.”  

2] Trent Dilfer has been helping Tagovailoa prepare

Former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer shared his veteran expertise to help the young quarterback prepare and navigate the draft. 

In what has been described as a 'Rocky IV' type training period Dilfer did his best to make sure the former Tagovailoa was in proper shape and showed everything NFL teams would normally be looking for during a pro-day workout.  

“I spent 10 hours trying to script this thing out,” Dilfer told MMQB's Albert Breer. “One, I cared. But two, I didn’t want to create this thing where it was confusing to the scouts. I don’t care about the public, who sees it in the public. I couldn’t care less about that. It was built for the 32 teams. I wanted those 32 GMs, owners, coaches, scouts, to have it make sense — Why are they doing that? …

“It took a lot of thought to create a glorified workout to show them the things they needed to see.”

3] Which quarterback in the draft has the highest upside? 

ESPN’s analytics team estimated the likelihood of each of the top four quarterbacks in the 2020 draft class to become a pro bowl player in the NFL. One clearly stood out:

According to ESPN's Analytics team, Tua Tagovailoa has the best chance at becoming a Pro Bowl-caliber quarterback.

The remaining projected first-round quarterbacks come in at 15% each. pic.twitter.com/zer6DSGmAJ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) April 11, 2020

Meanwhile, CBS Sports had an online interview with safety Xavier McKinney and with asked if Joe Borrow was the best quarterback was quick to say it was Tagovailoa -- and it wasn't just to support his former teammate: 

Projected first round draft pick Xavier McKinney did not hesitate when asked if Joe Burrow was the best QB he's ever faced:

"No...The best quarterback I faced was Tua...Tua is special, man. He's a problem."@mckinney15__ | @BMac_SportsTalk pic.twitter.com/npaF3R1Yvf

— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) April 14, 2020

4] Don't be surprised if the expected first-round run on wide receivers doesn't happen

A number of scouts have told Bob McGinn of The Athletic, who may be the best NFL reporter in the nation, that they weren’t as high on the wide receiver class as the media is portraying. 

Yes, there's quality and depth at the position, but outside of the top players it may not warrant using a first-round pick on the position group. 

“I think this is a really good wide receiver group, but this isn’t a slam-dunk, top-five group,” one scout said. “It’s loaded from like 20 to 50. There are ten guys in that one. But there’s no Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson, those types of guys.”

Alabama's Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III and Oklahoma's Ceedee Lamb are widely considered to be the three best wide receivers available.

5] Are the Eagles the perfect landing spot for Ruggs? 

The answer is maybe because it depends on when the Eagles could get him. 

Heading into the draft Philadelphia has the 21st pick, and it might have to move up to get someone like Ruggs, who many feel would be a great fit for the Eagles' offense and help spread out the defense. 

“Henry Ruggs is my No. 1 receiver in this year's draft class simply because he changes the game the most,” Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network wrote. “He brings a different kind of speed that will give defenses major problems.

"Remember, he ran a 4.27-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and was disappointed. He's like the Cheetah, Tyreek Hill, but bigger and stronger. That's a dangerous skill set.”

For the latest mock draft from SI, this time from fantasy/gambling analyst Frankie Taddeo.