🏈 The Draft Of Tua Tagovailoa

Despite all the injuries and Joe Burrow's meteoric rise, the 2020 NFL Draft remains the story of the Alabama QB. [View in browser]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider: With the top two picks all but etched in stone, the 2020 NFL Draft is all about Tua Tagovailoa ... we get you up to speed with everything you need to know about the first round of Thursday’s Draft ... and Roger Goodell give you a sneak peek at his setup for the broadcast, live from his basement. The concept started more than a year ago, with little room for doubt or deviation, that this specific Thursday in April would be the day of Tua. Tua Time, as it were. In other words, that the 2020 NFL Draft would be all about Tua Tagovailoa, and that no other storyline would be able to match it. Even while he was still playing out what would be his final season at Alabama, National Football League fans talked about Tua, thought about Tua — heck, in the case of the Miami Dolphins, even urged their team to Tank for Tua. [STORY IMAGE 1] With the league’s annual selection spectacular now just a few hours away, a lot has happened in the meantime. Tagovailoa gave further glimpses of his magic during his junior campaign in Tuscaloosa, then suffered a disastrous injury in a 38-7 blowout against Mississippi State. Then, Joe Burrow completed a season of majesty and coolness to vault to a consensus No. 1 pick. Then, Tagovailoa’s post-surgery rehabilitation forced him to miss the NFL Combine and robbed him of the opportunity to showcase himself in front of league scouts and personnel. Finally, the ravages of COVID-19 and its brake-slamming effect on American life meant he could not stage his pro day, conduct pre-draft visits or be fully evaluated by team medical experts. Yet, amid it all, it remains the Draft of Tua, perhaps even more so now than before. The 22-year-old from ‘Ewa Beach, Hawaii, remains the most fascinating plotline going into the most unusual, and possibly the most compelling, draft we may ever see. He won’t, barring some miracle, be one of the first names off the board. Burrow seems to have the first selection so tightly sewn up that FOX Bet is offering -10000 odds that he is picked by the Cincinnati Bengals. Similarly, Ohio State defensive end Chase Young seems to make perfect sense for Washington at No. 2, with FOX Sports' Jay Glazer reporting [the Redskins had shown little interest]( in attempts to persuade them to trade away that pick. Then, Tua Time really starts. [STORY IMAGE 2] Anything might happen, which is what makes it all so intriguing. Tagovailoa has enough upside that a team with some cojones could see a difference-maker worth taking a trade-up flier on. On the flip side, in this injury-conscious and metric-driven sports landscape, his injury history carries enough red flags that a serious fall could await him. He could still end up at the Dolphins at five, or he could be positioned to be the headlining act to open the Los Angeles Chargers' new stadium if they take him at six. Or not. As Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn, Johnny Manziel and others will tell you, once freefall kicks in, it can last for what seems like an eternity. And, just to cap it all off, rumors are swirling that Tagovailoa might fall into the orbit of thinking (and marginal risk) for the New England Patriots. “(Tua) has the most impressive tape over the totality of his college career of any quarterback in this draft,” [FOX Sports’ Shannon Sharpe said on Undisputed](. “Remember that Deshaun Watson tore his knee. How has he been? You don’t pass that talent up — it is too good of a talent to pass up. “Miami, you made that mistake once before with Drew Brees. Hopefully you’ve learned your lesson. I would take him, and I wouldn’t think twice about taking him.” [STORY IMAGE 3] Yet Tagovailoa’s injury was no minor setback. It left him with a dislocated hip and fractured posterior wall, plus a broken nose and a concussion. He also had an ankle issue in his sophomore year, and his ability to stay healthy is the primary concern of NFL evaluators. He divides opinion in every way except this: the certainty that, if healthy, he is the biggest box office star to come out of college in years. How could he not be, with that superhero sounding name and the memory of his insane national title winning contribution as a true freshman in January of 2018? You’ll want to catch the start of the Draft just for the obvious weirdness of it all. You’ll get to see Roger Goodell’s basement, and even though there is no stage, you’ll even get to boo the commissioner, thanks to a sponsorship promotion and what must be said is a good-sported agreement by the commissioner. [STORY IMAGE 4] If you do miss a bit, fret not, for the real action starts at three, when Tagovailoa’s presence comes into the spotlight. Mock drafts abound, and they can shift our thinking, but there is plenty of smoke and mirrors from NFL teams who want to keep their true intentions secret. Fellow QBs Justin Herbert and Jordan Love are getting a lot focus, but as always, we will have to wait and see — something Tagovailoa already knows. “If I’m the first pick or if I’m the last pick, whatever team takes a chance on me, I’m grateful,” Tagovailoa told USA Today. “Whatever team decides to pick me, that’s the team I’m meant to go to.” We will find out soon where that is. It is going to be a draft with a difference, one we will never forget. Tua Time is nearly here. He, for one, hopes it doesn’t last too long. [STORY IMAGE 5] Here’s what others have said ... Steve Wyche, NFL.com: “Leading up to the draft, Tagovailoa's days have been full, with equal parts schoolwork and football work. Not schoolwork like breaking down film, either. Like, schoolwork. From Nashville, the communications major, who is just three classes shy of graduating, has been taking virtual classes at Alabama each day before 9 a.m. After that, he's in the weight room or going through drills with Trent Dilfer and other players, including his brother. Tagovailoa and his family decided to work with Dilfer at the Lipscomb Academy football facility shortly after declaring for the draft. From the outset, both sides wanted the training to be pretty much in isolation, with minimal outside distractions. Over the past few months, Tagovailoa and Dilfer worked on all facets of playing quarterback in the NFL, while also going through strength and conditioning training that complemented Tagovailoa's hip rehab. Over the last month, he limited video meetings with teams to one per day, to help him with preparation and focus. The virtual meetings have included general managers, with some clubs bringing in their entire coaching staff and owner.” Shannon Sharpe, FOX Sports: “I would take Tua No. 1, because I believe he has the most impressive, extensive portfolio. You can talk about the games that he lost, but let’s talk about the games that he won. A 13-point comeback against the University of Georgia in the National Championship Game, not as the starter. He got up off the bench for a walk-off game-winning throw as a true freshman. The highest career passer rating in NCAA history. The highest QBR since they started tracking the stat 15 years ago. He’s elite as far as anticipation. His arm talent is undeniable. All you have to do is put on the tape. Turn the tape on, and let it speak for itself.” Safid Deen, Sun Sentinel: “The Miami Dolphins deserve a round of applause. In the final days before the 2020 NFL draft, there is a considered level of uncertainty about which player the Dolphins will select with their No. 5 pick when the first round begins virtually on Thursday. That isn’t unintentional. That’s because no other NFL team needed to create or foster this much haziness than the Dolphins. Since the beginning of Miami’s rebuilding effort — which was never a tank job for the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2020, the Dolphins often insisted — the team has been tied to Tagovailoa. ‘For us, you always weigh the talents,’ (Dolphins GM Will) Grier said. ‘You talk about the kid, the person, the work ethic and then, you do look at injuries. You take in the factor of the position he plays and such. For us, every decision has to be weighed with that. Again, you just never know.’” [IN OTHER WORDS] - Need some help to get ready for tonight’s NFL Draft? We have you covered with [everything you need to know about the Draft itself]( plus [the best case scenarios for all 32 teams]( on FOXSports.com. - Rob Gronkowski took to Facebook on Wednesday to give some insight on his decision to return to football. [Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab outlines]( the biggest takeaways from Gronk’s self-press conference. - It almost sounds like the setup to a joke: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are all set to go golfing. [CBS Sports' Kyle Porter lays out]( six questions we have about this forthcoming event in May. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( Looking for a little sneak peek of the draft before tonight’s virtual selection process? Well, might we interest you in a tour of the Commissioner’s basement, led by Roger Goodell himself? Seeing all of the wires and technology laid out in his man cave, just waiting for the lights and cameras to turn on, is an incredible peek behind the curtain of everything that’s going in to making tonight’s broadcast work, and on that note, we salute everyone doing what they can. We’re looking forward to the show. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] FOX Sports NFL Draft Special (FOX Sports digital platforms, 8 p.m. ET) Join Joel Klatt, Jay Glazer, Peter Schrager, Urban Meyer, Michael Vick, and others as they break down the NFL Draft in real-time, featuring social reactions, betting odds, and more in a truly unique draft experience. 2020 NFL Draft (NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, 8 p.m. ET) It’s a draft unlike any other, coming to you from the homes of the league’s general managers and Roger Goodell’s basement. The top two picks are all but assured; after that, anything could happen. MLB Safe At Home (Friday, FS1, 6 p.m. ET) World Series champion Max Scherzer joins KB, A-Rod, Big Papi and Ken to answer your fan questions and discuss all the latest happening around the world of MLB. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Joe Burrow, Chase Young, Jeff Okudah, Jedrick Wills, and Tua Tagovailoa all drafted in the Top 5: +450 Let’s run through this one, shall we? Burrow and Young are virtual locks to go 1-2. Barring a Lions trade, Okudah is the consensus No. 3 pick for Detroit across multiple mock drafts. So in essence, this is really a wager on whether you think Wills will be the first offensive lineman off the board, ahead of guys like Andrew Thomas and Mekhi Becton, and whether the Dolphins have been trying to throw prognosticators off their trail and have planned to take Tua the entire time. And at +450, that’s not a bad thought on how the Draft might shake out. A new FOX Sports app and website is coming. 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