The Miami Dolphins have entrusted sophomore quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the task of leading the franchise to new heights. This message was made abundantly clear back in late March, when they decided to trade out of the No. 3 overall pick in a blockbuster deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
But did Miami pass up on an opportunity to draft a better quarterback prospect? Should they have just kept the third-overall pick, instead of dropping down to No. 12 and then trading back up to No. 6?
Connor Rogers, who covers the NFL Draft for Bleacher Report, joined The DA Show on Monday to break down the Dolphins' situation.
"Look at the quarterbacks that'll be available at No. 3 -- we know Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are gone -- [Ohio State's] Justin Fields and [North Dakota State's] Trey Lance are better prospects to me than Tua was. That's the flat-out answer," Rogers said. "Now, on the flip side, you took this quarterback early -- who was a good prospect, let's not make the mistake. I'm not a doctor, I don't know how his medical situation was coming out, where you're betting on him bouncing back from the injury. We think he's going to. Now, with that being said, you did take this quarterback, give him a chance to succeed.
"The offensive line was not good last year, no matter what you hear. [Veteran quarterback] Ryan Fitzpatrick is a guy who can play out of structure and make something out of nothing, even when he's taking those big shots. Tua can't. It's not his game, and that's okay. He's in the mold of a timing, touch-throwing pocket passer that you want to keep upright and you want to litter the field with the right weapons. So, I think they've done a really nice job acquiring more draft capital, and getting themselves back up from No. 12, when they moved back, up into No. 6, where they're essentially guaranteed one of the top [non-quarterback] dogs...
"They're in a situation with the Giants -- and you don't typically want to find yourself in this situation -- where, if your quarterback that you bet the house on, you sold the owner that this is the guy, and we need to do everything for this guy, and I'm here to build around this guy... you're going to do everything to make sure he succeeds, or else you're out the door. It's as simple as that. Now, once again, they have a huge question mark at center. They need another piece at wide receiver. They need a running back. And I think they're going to address all those things significantly early in this draft to give Tua every bit of chance of success that he can get."
Tagovailoa, who was selected fifth overall by Miami in the 2020 draft, started nine game last season (six wins), and completed 186-of-290 passes for 1,814 yards, 11 touchdowns, and five interceptions across 10 total games. The 23-year-old also rushed for 109 yards on 36 attempts, and scored three times on the ground.
Fields and Lance are the Nos. 3 and 4 quarterback prospects, respectively, on Pro Football Focus' NFL Draft Big Board. Due to the pandemic and restructured schedules, Fields only played in eight games last season, but he threw for 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns, rushed for five scores, and led Ohio State to a national championship game appearance.
As for Lance, he doesn't have the same body of work. The 20-year-old played just once in 2020 because of COVID-19, and across three collegiate seasons, he appeared in 19 games, tallying 4,272 yards of total offense with 30 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing scores.
According to Spotrac.com, the estimated total value of the sixth overall pick's contract is $25.6 million, and the estimated signing bonus is $16 million.
The first round of the NFL Draft begins this Thursday, April 29 in Cleveland.
The entire NFL Draft conversation between Rogers and DA can be accessed in the video and audio players above.
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