Tua Tagovailoa is without a doubt one of the more polarizing players in the entire 2020 NFL Draft . The kid’s got talent for days no doubt, but injury concerns have many GMs across the league cautiously optimistic about what the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout brings with him to the NFL level. Had he not suffered a season-ending hip injury in a win over Mississippi State at the tail end of the regular season and been forced to sit out the Tide’s Citrus Bowl romp of the Michigan Wolverines, it could be argued that he would’ve given Joe Burrow a run for his money as the No. 1 overall pick. But he did and the Cincinnati Bengals have made it abundantly clear that they’ll be acquiring the Heisman trophy winner’s services once Roger Goodell steps to the podium for the very first time. Even so, there are a number of QB needy teams selecting at the front of the draft, while some might even trade up to snag them a piece of Tua. Let’s break it all down and see where we should invest our money at online sportsbooks come Thursday, April 23.
Third Overall +175
Fifth Overall +200
Second Overall +400
Fourth Overall +900
Sixth Overall +900
Any Other +900
VIDEO
Before we jump into the action, we need to dissect the player that is Tua Tagovailoa. The youngster took the college football betting world by storm when he came off the bench in the second half of the 2018 National Championship Game to lead the Crimson Tide to a thrilling overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs. Tua was nothing if not masterful in that game with all eyes on him throwing for 166 yards and 3 TD with one coming at the death in overtime when he connected with Devonta Smith from 41-yards out to allow Bama to escape with the 26-23 OT triumph. He then went on to have a fantastic 2018-19 campaign after throwing for over 3,350 yards and a stellar 37:4 TD/INT ratio. Shockingly, Kyler Murray would sweep in from out of nowhere and steal the Heisman Trophy away from him in the days leading up to the award presentation. Tua once again looked well on his way towards going back to the PlayStation Theater before the injury bug ended his season early. Before that, he was on pace to shatter the previous year’s yardage and TD totals with 2,840 and 33 respectively through just nine games; most of which he sat the second half out due to the Tide already running away with the victory.
With the Bengals out of the equation, one only has to look at the next two QB needy teams to find Tua’s landing spot in 2020. The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Chargers both moved on from their respective veteran shot callers in the offseason. Unfortunately, the Pats are way out of reach unless they trade up, while the Bolts sit at No. 6 behind the Miami Dolphins who sit at No. 5 and are badly in need of a quarterback; that is unless you believe FitzMagic continues to run rampant in South Beach; not happening! LA is the trendy pick to trade up and select a QB, but I wouldn’t put it passed the Carolina Panthers from making things interesting as well regardless of them just throwing big money Teddy Bridgewater’s way. Sorry, but I’m not a believer in Teddy B and Matt Rhule is a fan of Tua’s style of play.
Heck, the Detroit Lions could ruin all the fun by staying put and using their No. 3 pick to select Matthew Stafford’s replacement. Remember, No. 9 missed the last two months of last season due to a serious back issue. The team went 0-9 to close the season with Stafford missing eight of those games. It’s safe to say the Lions need to dramatically improve their backup QB position just in case the injury to Stafford ends his career early. With that, it wouldn’t shock me in the least if upper management erred on the side of caution and snagged themselves an exciting shot caller that could tote the mail in a starting role right out of the chute if need be. That said, the Lions need some serious help on the defensive side of the ball; specifically in the secondary after trading away Darius Slay. With that, it wouldn’t shock me to see them trade down to a team like the Chargers, Panthers, Colts or Patriots who would snag him at No. 3. Provided Washington doesn’t pull the most Washington of moves and select another quarterback with their first pick!
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook !
