2020 NFL Draft: Tua slips in first round mock draft after injury
By Cory Kinnan
With the 22nd pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Indianapolis Colts select Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback, Alabama.
Tua’s slide stops here at the 22nd overall pick after fracturing his hip this weekend and having successful surgery on it. The Colts seem like a good landing spot as they have signed Jacoby Brissett for two years after 2019, so Tua Tagovailoa would not have to be rushed back into action right away before taking over the reigns from Brissett.
Tua Tagovailoa’s arm talent and accuracy are undeniable, but his injury history must now raise a huge red flag for NFL scouts and general managers. Tua has injured the same ankle two years in a row (and had surgery on it) and now faces a long rehab ahead of him as he recovers from the surgery on his hip.
Could you imagine, the Colts go from Peyton Manning to Andrew Luck to… Tua Tagovailoa? Franchises like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Cleveland Browns have gone decades trying to find franchise quarterbacks, and the Colts may land their third in a row with Brissett in the middle.
There is no timetable on Tua’s return to any sort of football active or the bearing it could have on his draft status, but here he falls to the end of the first round.