It’s starting to look more and more like former Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa could be facing a draft day slide once the annual event gets going a week from Thursday.
Tua has done what he can to help calm nerves following the serious hip injury he suffered last season with the Crimson Tide. It’s been an uphill climb due to his inability to meet with teams in person during the COVID-19 pandemic plaguing the United States.
We’ve read reports that some teams now might prefer Oregon’s Justin Herbert to Tua. According to John Clayton of The Washington Post, that could include the Los Angeles Chargers.
“There’s a feeling among many in the NFL that Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco prefers Herbert to Tagovailoa,” Clayton reported. “That is largely based on Telesco’s draft history of preferring prospects who didn’t have injury histories in college.”
Prior to suffering said hip injury in November, Tagovailoa dealt with other minor ailments during his three-year stint with the Crimson Tide. It’s not simply about this one injury.
Los Angeles is slated to pick sixth overall once the draft comes calling a week from Thursday. Herbert might not even be available at that spot. It’s in this that Clayton suggested a strade up with the Detroit Lions at No. 3 overall could be in the cards to land Herbert. Detroit is willing to listen to offers for that pick.
The Chargers are more than prepared to enter the 2020 season with Tyrod Taylor as their starting quarterback. They pushed back against the idea of adding a veteran on the free-agent market after Philip Rivers departed for Indianapolis.
This doesn’t mean Telesco and Co. are going to avoid adding a potential future franchise quarterback at the top of the 2020 NFL Draft. Just don’t expect it to be Tua.