Tua Revisits "Fears and Doubts" Heading into 2020 Draft

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's hip injury made him unsure of his draft status before the Miami Dolphins selected him fifth overall

Feb 25, 2020; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Tua Tagovailoa (QB17) in his combine media session / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Tua Tagovailoa is coming off a Pro Bowl starting selection and appears on the verge of landing a lucrative long-term contract extension, continuing to validate the Miami Dolphins’ decision to make him the fifth overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft.

But as the 2024 draft approaches, Tagovailoa concedes he had his “fears and doubts” about his draft status four year ago, fears he addressed in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

Tagovailoa was selected as the second quarterback off the board in 2020, four picks behind first overall selection Joe Burrow. Tagovailoa was viewed in many circles as the league’s future top pick heading into the 2019 college football season, but injuries helped derailed that hope. A hip injury affected the Alabama quarterback’s stock heading into the draft. The  need to be all virtual that year due to the coronavirus added even more wrench to the draft.

 “I had my hip injury, and then I also, like, broke my nose at the same time,” Tua told Fox News Digital. “I was also in this gray area of, OK, I know if I were healthy, I could have been the first draft pick or the second or the third."

The Dolphins, whose rebuilding 2019 season was viewed in some circles as a “Tank for Tua” campaign, selected the quarterback fifth overall, and the Los Angeles Chargers went with Justin Herbert right after. History will forever connect these two and this quarterback class in general when adding Jordan Love and Jalen Hurts.

Despite Tua’s concerns, hearing his name created a “sigh of relief” and at the same time the pressure of being a franchise’s first-round pick.

“The weight of that organization, that team, for you to step in right way…like, nobody cares how young you are,” he told Fox News Digital.

Days away from the 2024 draft, Tagovailoa is aware of his role on the Dolphins and has come a long way since hearing his name called in a virtual draft.

In a fun turning back of the clock, exactly four years ago on April 23rd, here is what general manager Chris Grier had to say about his first selection in that draft.

“Watching him for a couple years and finally meeting him at the combine and getting to know him and find out what type of person he really is, which we all heard great things,” Grier told South Florida reporters via Zoom call after selecting Tua fifth overall. “There were a lot of talented players and we really liked Tua and we felt very comfortable at the end of the day that he would be a fit here and bringing him here.”