Tua Tagovailoa is desperate to prove to the world he deserves to be a top-tier quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The former Crimson Tide star has watched as the coronavirus pandemic puts his draft stock at risk after it had already taken a serious blow at the end of 2019.
Tagovailoa’s most recent attempt to reinvigorate his hype came in the form of a one-minute sizzle reel he posted to Twitter on Monday night captioned, “Tua T, to a T…,” that lays out a sequence of events leading up to the draft, set to take place virtually on April 23 to 25.
The clip begins with a montage of highlights from the 22-year-old’s dominant career at Alabama, including him featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and various audio clips playing in the background of members of the media praising him at a time he was the frontrunner to be selected No. 1 among quarterbacks.
“He’s could definitely be a top three pick in my estimation,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said.
The subject matter switches to audio of people talking about teams, mainly the Dolphins, “Tanking for Tua,” all of which crescendoes with an image of him on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance.
Tagovailoa suffered a devastating hip injury on Nov. 16 against Mississippi State which knocked him out for the remainder of the season. He underwent surgery shortly after and has been rehabbing ever since. However, he was unable to participate in last month’s combine, and instead joined a number of athletes who opted to showcase their skills at their schools’ Pro Days including LSU’s Joe Burrow, now the assumed No. 1 pick.
Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.Getty ImagesHis draft stock rose briefly after the combine because of the positive results from his medical evaluation, but things declined shortly after. The clip details the rapid, unforeseeable sequence of events leading up to today: The tornado that ripped through Nashville and coronavirus shutting down all sporting events.
“We’re not going to be able to do a Pro-Day?” Tagovailoa asks in a defeated tone.
The stoppage of all sports-related activities in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic has a disproportionately deleterious effect on players with injury concerns. With teams unable to assess Tagovailoa in-person, he is inherently burdened with more risk.
The video continues with scenes from Tagovailoa’s rehab and clips of him throwing and looking healthy. It ends with the words, “If you want Tua, come and get him” spoken dramatically with an image of Tagovailoa smiling with the ocean in the background and his name in all-caps on the screen.
The 6-foot, 217-pound signal-caller is projected to go as high as No. 2 overall (by way of a trade with the Redskins) in mock drafts. While some have speculated that Oregon’s Justin Herbert has surpassed Tagovailoa and will be the second quarterback selected in the draft.
