Tagovailoa calls Jones a ‘more mobile Tom Brady’
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa made some bold statements when speaking about his former backup at Alabama, Mac Jones, over the weekend.
“I would say he’s a sly kind of athletic person,” Tagovailoa said on the Yahoo Sports podcast. “He’s a more mobile Tom Brady.”
“He’s a really great person,” Tagovailoa added. “A lot of the guys, when I was playing at Alabama, they really loved being around his personality and who he was. So I’m thinking whatever team gets him, they’re going to be very lucky. He’s a great player.”
While Tagovailoa’s comments on Jones, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the upcoming 2021 NFL draft, raised some eyebrows, his assessment of former Alabama teammate Najee Harris was welcomed news for Dolphins fans hoping the team takes him with the No. 18 pick.
“He’s a well-rounded running back,” Tagovailoa said of Harris on the Yahoo Sports podcast. “He’s very athletic. He can run. He can make a man miss. He can power through someone. And then he’s very good in the pass game. Not just with his catching, but I think what’s overshadowed by his success with the catches and the runs is his blocking.
“He’s going to be a fun guy to watch this upcoming season,” Tagovailoa said. “Hopefully we’re on the same team.”
Harris, who has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons, is Alabama’s all-time leader in rushing yards (3,843) and total touchdowns (57).
The Dolphins are expected to upgrade the running back position after it struggled last season. The Dolphins’ leading rusher failed to gain 600 yards, with Myles Gaskin being the team’s top rusher with 584 yards.
Tagovailoa also weighed in on the slight build of another one of his former teammates at Alabama, wide receiver DaVonta Smith, who many analysts have the Dolphins taking with the No. 3 pick.
Tagovailoa downplayed the size of the Heisman Trophy winner who is one of the best players available in the draft and one of his favorite targets at Alabama — despite reports that his slender frame might cause apprehension for some decision-makers in the NFL.
“To me, film never lies,” said Tagovailoa on the podcast. “I think the entire world got to see this past year what kind of player that he really is. You give him the ball, he’ll make something happen. Going back to my freshman year, the national championship game. Before the pass, he told me to give
him the ball. And so I trusted him, gave him the ball, and you saw what he did. I mean, they don’t call him
the ‘Slim Reaper’ for no reason. I’m telling you, he comes, and he comes to kill.”
Smith was listed at 6 foot 1 and 175 pounds during his senior season at Alabama, where he caught 117
passes for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns, leading the Crimson Tide to a national championship in January.