The Miami Dolphins are widely expected to take a quarterback with the fifth overall pick in next week’s NFL Draft, but there has been plenty of debate over whether they prefer Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert. One thing we now know, however, is that they tried to get a close look at Tagovailoa right around the time life as we know it came to a screeching halt.
The Dolphins scrambled to try to get Tagovailoa to Miami just before the NFL put a stop to visits between teams and prospects due to the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. While team doctors were able to examine the former Alabama star at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, they were hoping to get a closer look last month.
The Dolphins‘ doctors last were able to examine Tua Tagovaiola at the combine, but have not been allowed to have any contact with him, or any prospect, since. https://t.co/0kr7TCbprU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2020
It’s obvious the Dolphins have some level of interest in Tagovailoa. If not for injury concerns, Tagovailoa would have had a shot to be the top overall pick in the draft ahead of Joe Burrow. That’s the primary reason some experts expect Miami to take Herbert over the former Alabama star.
Tagovailoa’s lengthy injury history was already a concern for teams, and the coronavirus restrictions could prevent him from being able to ease some of that. While the footage we saw from his pro day looked promising, the inability of teams to have their doctors examine Tua closer to the draft may complicate things further for him.
