Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
After Tank for Tua talk, teams gets to know QB
INDIANAPOLIS — Tua Tagovailoa has tried to not pay attention to the “Tank for Tua” craze that has surrounded him and the Miami Dolphins for much of past year.
But thoughts of the possible connection have been unavoidable.
“My teammates would tell me, ‘Hey, bro, look at this. Dolphins want you.’ I’d be flattered,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday as he was flanked by media during the NFL scouting combine.
“But as a kid growing up, that’s like a dream to have an organization want you, especially the fans there.”
Tagovailoa and the Dolphins have been linked to each other through the media narrative for much of the past 13 months. The Dolphins watched Tagovailoa play four times last season. And Tagovailoa has taken two trips to the South Florida area already this year.
But this week during the NFL combine will be the first time Tagovailoa and the Dolphins formally meet ahead of April’s draft — in which Miami owns the No. 5 pick among its 14 selections.
“We’re just going through the process of getting to know him, but again, he seems like a great kid and the medical [evaluation] will tell us what it is,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said of Tagovailoa.
“We’ll go through our process and get to know him, but [we are] excited to meet him, as well as a bunch of other prospects.”
The Dolphins know a successful rebuild hinges on finding the right quarterback to lead their franchise.
Dolphins coach Brian Flores wants a quarterback who is tough, intelligent and competitive. He wants a player who puts the team first and has a love for the game.
Tagovailoa checks those boxes, and many others, too.
He threw 87 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions in 32 games at Alabama. He completed nearly 70 percent of his passes. He won a national championship, and lost one, too. As far as measurables, at 6-feet and 217 pounds, he’s the same height as Drew Brees and about an inch taller than Russell Wilson — two quarterbacks he models himself after on and off the field.
More importantly, Tagovailoa is a hard worker. He’s a winner. His family and faith are important to him. He doesn’t back away from a challenge, like his extensive rehabilitation process for his hip injury. He has many other intangibles the Dolphins covet in a quarterback.
It’s just whether Grier, Flores and the Dolphins believe Tagovailoa is worth investing in despite his medical history — and if he’s worth pulling off a trade to move up from the No. 5 pick to land him.
“He’s a good player. He’s done a good job,” Flores said about Tagovailoa. “Again, we’re very, very early in the process here. There’s medical, there’s tests. This is very early. I haven’t even met him yet. I’m looking forward to meeting him. There’s a lot of talented players here at the combine.”
Tagovailoa, who is three months into his recovery from a right hip dislocation and posterior wall fracture, said his medical evaluation Monday took nearly 10 hours.
“I was the last person to leave,” Tagovailoa said with a smile. “We went there at 10 and I was back by about 7:49 p.m.”
Tagovailoa expects to be fully cleared by his doctors to participate in more strenuous workouts on March 9. One month later, on April 9, he’ll have his highly anticipated pro day workout for teams like the Dolphins to see his progress.
Tagovailoa remains confident he will make a full recovery and return to form as the quarterback who many considered as the potential No. 1 pick before the injury. He even wants to play Week 1 of the 2020 season.
But first, teams must overcome concerns about his durability and mobility. In addition to undergoing surgery on his hip, the lefty quarterback has also had surgery on his left hand and has had procedures done on both ankles during his college career.
Tagovailoa isn’t shying away from his injury history, either.
But the interview process will be Tagovailoa’s opportunity to reassure teams like the Dolphins that he is worth a top pick.
“I think going into the interview rooms and these informal interviews, I just feel like I’ve got to be myself,” Tagovailoa said.
“If I’m not the person for the organization, then I’m not the person. I just feel like if I’m just myself going into the interviews, the right team will find me.”