2020 NFL Draft: Tua Tagovailoa earns lofty praise from Trent Dilfer

Tua Tagovailoa could well be the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft and recent comments from Trent Dilfer suggest he is well worthy of that distinction.

The 2020 NFL Draft will almost certainly be dominated by a debate over whether Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert is the best quarterback in the class.

Whoever emerges as the consensus top passer in the draft will likely earn the distinction of being the first overall pick in Las Vegas next year. And Alabama signal-caller Tagovailoa has received an early glowing assessment from Trent Dilfer, who worked with him at the Elite 11.

Quoted by the MMQB’s Albert Breer, Dilfer said of Tagovailoa:

"“He’s the finest prospect I’ve ever worked with. And I think I’ve worked with almost all the guys, at this point. He’s rare in so many areas, just not in height, and not in physicality. He’s a rare football player, a rare leader, with rare twitch, accuracy and vision, and a rare mind.”"

Going off that assessment, and the resume Taogvailoa has put together at Alabama, leading them to a National Championship in relief of Jalen Hurts before guiding them back to the same game in the 2018 season, he enters what is expected to be his last season with the Crimson Tide with little to prove on the surface.

However, after an injury-affected sophomore year, Tagovailoa — who suffered a high ankle sprain in the SEC Championship Game with Georgia — may be out to put any lingering durability concerns to bed by staying healthy for a full season.

There is also the issue of him wanting to go out on top after he struggled mightily in Alabama’s blowout loss to Clemson in the National Championship Game.

Tagovailoa will not need motivation to put that humbling behind him and, through playing in the SEC for a national powerhouse, he is likely to have the opportunity to play a lot more significant and meaningful games than Herbert.

If he thrives in the spotlight as he has so often done and leads Alabama back to glory, Tagovailoa may have the edge in the battle to be the No. 1 pick going into the pre-draft cycle.