NFL Rumors: Will Miami Dolphins Draft Tua Tagovailoa Or Justin Herbert? Alabama QB Still Favored

The Miami Dolphins might be the most interesting team in the 2020 NFL Draft. They have three picks in the first round (No.5, 18 and 26) and are expected to target a quarterback.

LSU’s Joe Burrow is all but certain to go to the Cincinnati Bengals with the No.1 overall selection. Ohio State defensive end Chase Young is likely headed to the Washington Redskins with the second pick. The Detroit Lions (No.3) and New York Giants (No.4) are highly unlikely to pursue a signal caller.

Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert are in contention to be the second quarterback taken in Thursday’s first round. There is plenty of debate regarding which player will be the first to come off the board.

Tagovailoa, likely headed for the top overall pick before a season-ending injury forced him to undergo hip surgery, has long been expected to be the second quarterback drafted. New rumors suggest Herbert will be the next signal caller taken after Burrow, possibly landing with Miami.

NBC Sports’ Peter King predicted the Dolphins will draft Herbert in his latest mock draft. According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper, there is buzz that Miami prefers Herbert to Tagovailoa.

The Los Angeles Chargers could take whichever quarterback is still available at No.6 overall.

DraftKings Sportsbooks still makes the Dolphins significant betting favorites to draft Tagovailoa. Miami is given +100 odds to draft the former Crimson Tide star. Los Angeles is second with +250 odds to land Tagovailoa. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a distant second with +700 odds.

FanDuel Sportsbook gives Tagovailoa -155 odds to be drafted before the sixth pick. Herbert has -130 odds to be taken sixth or later.

While the Dolphins haven’t been able to examine Tagovailoa in-person in recent weeks because of the coronavirus pandemic, the quarterback reportedly passed his physical with Miami’s doctors at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Multiple sources have told The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero that Tagovailoa remains the Dolphins’ most likely pick at No.5 overall.

Reporting the same here as the great @ArmandoSalguero, that the #Dolphins gave Tua a passing grade on their physical back at the combine. @nflnetwork https://t.co/fk0KX6INgM
— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) April 22, 2020

Certainly tilting toward Tua, from chatter in past 24 hours. Talked to NFL power broker last night who said he would be very surprised to see Flores take Herbert because Herbert personality doesn't fit alpha leader demeanor Flores likes in his QB. We'll see. https://t.co/NeBmJzFu4v
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) April 21, 2020

Tagovailoa threw three touchdowns passes as a freshman in Alabama’s 2018 National Championship Game victory over Georgia. In his sophomore season, he was the Heisman Trophy runner-up with 3,966 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and six interceptions. Tagovailoa’s 199.4 passing efficiency rating was the all-time record until Burrow set a new mark in 2019.

Tagovailoa completed 69.3% of his career passes for 10.9 yards per attempt. Herbert had 3,471 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 156.8 rating in his senior season at Oregon.

It’s possible that Miami, or another team, could trade up within the top-four in order to select Tagovailoa.