Tua Tagovailoa is Draft's Biggest Medical Concern

The Alabama quarterback may be the most talented player at his position in the draft, but he's also coming off a serious hip injury and has a history of other injuries

It’s always a buyer beware situation when it comes to the NFL draft.

This year it may even be more so since the information teams usually have to rely on hasn’t been collected in the usual fashion, if it has been collected at all.

This biggest buyer beware that will be available when the draft begins April 23 is Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

There’s no questioning Tua’s talent. It’s the medicals that are a concern, medicals made even more difficult to get a grip on for NFL teams than in years past due to the restrictions imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I don’t think there’s a GM out there that’s worried about Tua playing in 2020,” said Mark Dominick, who was the director of pro scouting for Tampa Bay from 1997-2008 and the GM from 2009-2013, via conference call on Tuesday.

“He’s shown in on the videos that he’s healthy, but will he be there in 2022 through 2028, that’s what you’re struggling with (when it comes to) Tua. There are people who out there who feel like he’s going to need a hip replacement and you can’t predict he won’t, and he’s had injuries previously.”

Dominick believes that if Tua gets past the Chargers with the sixth pick then “there are a lot more medical concerns from everybody in the league than what we were told or being led to believe.”

That said, Dominick believes Tua will go fifth overall to the Miami Dolphins, if only because the Dolphins flunked Drew Brees on his physical when Brees was a free agent years ago and ended up with New Orleans.

“I wonder if there’s not a hint of, let’s not have another Drew Brees slip through here, let’s go ahead and take him,” said Dominick. “They might have that mentality and I wouldn’t be surprised. I think they probably will take him.”