On last Friday’s edition of Get Up, the table discussed the incoming NFL Draft, particularly who should be getting picked in the top end. As one would expect the same three names were tossed around for the top selections in the draft. Joe Burrow, Chase Young and Tua Tagovailoa.
During the segment, Laura Rutledge asked former NFL linebacker Bart Scott if he believed Tagovailoa would still be around at the number five pick to the Miami Dolphins where he has been projected to land in most mock drafts.
Scott believed that Tagovailoa would not go past the third overall pick to the Detroit Lions, where he would be replacing Mathew Stafford at quarterback.
“I don’t see how the Detroit Lions let Tua get past them,” said Scott. “They understand that they’ve had Mathew Stafford, he’s only 31 years old but we’ve seen what it looks like to have Stafford for 11 years. You’re not going to win a Super Bowl with him.
“If you’re a struggling young head coach in this league you want to press the reset button, you can’t let a guy with arm talent and vision getaway.”
Not only would it be a proper succession plan for the Lions, but it would also be the right opportunity for Tagovailoa to continue to heal and come back fully healthy. Detroit offers a situation where he won’t be pressured to play right away.
Stafford’s contract runs through 2023, and he too is coming off of injury after a solid start to last season. Head coach Matt Patricia may want to see if the team can get a little more out of the Georgia graduate before Tagovailoa succeeds him.
If the draft were to play out this way, Tagovailoa may have fallen into a pretty solid situation for himself.
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Patrick Dowd is a Reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can follow him on Twitter, via Pat_Dowd77
