Before his injury last year, Tua Tagovailoa was talked about as a potential No. 1 overall pick. Now, there are reportedly “multiple teams” that prefer Oregon product Justin Herbert over the former Crimson Tide superstar.
Speaking about this dynamic on his “Stick to Football” podcast, Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller said that, because teams have to rely on a third-party medical evaluation, Tagovailoa’s stock isn’t as high as it might have been otherwise.
Herbert isn’t a bad prospect, to be certain. However, he is very raw and has accuracy issues. And if not for Tagovailoa’s injury history there’s little chance things would be playing out the way they are right now.
The 2020 NFL Draft is going to be unusual. Instead of being a live event with people in attendance, it will take place in the virtual realm because the NFL is currently mostly shut down, along with the rest of our society, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
One of the issues teams are facing is that physicals are not able to be done with facilities shut down and people not traveling.
Tagovailoa isn’t the only big-name prospect who is reportedly going to be hurt by the changes, either. He’s just the most high-profile example, and if teams are even a little bit nervous about his long-term health he could stand to lose millions on his rookie deal.
NFL general managers have voiced their opinion that the 2020 NFL Draft should be pushed back due to these issues, but the league itself is determined to make it happen.