Tua Tagovailoa Feels '100%' Recovered from Hip Injury, Could Play in Game Today

Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa says he feels 100% recovered from last year's hip injury and could play today.

With the 2020 NFL Draft a mere three weeks and a day away, teams will finalize their player evaluations soon. That means prospects have limited time and means with which to influence their draft stock.

For a quarterback like Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a severe hip dislocation during his final season at Alabama, that means telling the world that he has a clean bill of health.

"I feel 100%," Tagovailoa told NFL Network's Steve Wyche. "I feel like if there was a game today, I'd be able to go out and perform the same way I was able to perform in previous years. I feel as mobile as possible. I feel 100%."

Of course, Tagovailoa's declaration of health happens shortly after reports surfaced suggesting the Miami Dolphins, who hold the No. 5 overall pick, prefer Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert. This follows team owner Stephen Ross expressing concerns about Tagovailoa during Super Bowl week. "I've been down there to see him," Ross told reporters. "Tua is a great player. I just worry about his health."

Questions about health have dominated the conversation around Tagovailoa throughout the draft process. In addition to his recovery from hip surgery, the 22-year-old quarterback has dealt with ankle issues that also required him to go under the knife. Given his slighter-than-average frame -- he measured in at 6-foot, 217 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine in February -- some teams will move him down or off their draft boards out of fear of future injury.

For the Los Angeles Chargers, who did not add a veteran signal-caller this offseason after the departure of longtime starter Philip Rivers, Tagovailoa holds plenty of risk and intrigue. Rivers never missed a game during his tenure with the team, including an AFC Championship Game played on a torn ACL. Tagovailoa conversely managed to play a full season once during his college career.

At the same time, Tagovailoa's play rivaled that of any quarterback prospect in his class. Before the hip injury, Tagovailoa looked like the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall. That value cannot go ignored in a league where signal-callers make or break the vast majority of teams. If the Chargers feel that Tagovailoa can become a transformational player, they have to seriously consider him when they come on the clock, even if that means rolling the dice on his health.

-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on Twitter: @by_JBH