Dolphins' Justin Herbert Buzz Seems Like a Smokescreen After Latest Tua Tagovailoa Report
By Jerry Trotta
Over the last week few weeks, NFL Draft buzz has indicated that the Miami Dolphins were moving on from their extended interest in Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and turning their attention to Oregon gunslinger Justin Herbert.
Well, it's now quite apparent that those rumors served as a classic Draft smokescreen.
According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Dolphins went to great lengths to secure a visit with Tagovailoa before the country was shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. In fact, the 22-year-old was the first college prospect that the franchise tried to bring to Miami in March.
On the night before the league halted visits between college prospects and NFL teams, the Dolphins rushed to try to get Tua Tagovailoa to Miami, per a source. Tagovailoa was the first college prospect the Dolphins tried to bring to Miami in March. But March 13, NFL banned visits.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2020
Just as we suspected.
There's just no way that months of conviction in Tagovailoa would disintegrate out of the blue. That's no disrespect to Herbert, either. The Dolphins have been all in on the former Crimson Tide star from Day 1.
Team doctors examined Tua at the Draft Combine, but since haven't been permitted to have any contact with him, or any prospect, since the annual showcase at Lucas Oil Stadium.
The Dolphins‘ doctors last were able to examine Tua Tagovaiola at the combine, but have not been allowed to have any contact with him, or any prospect, since. https://t.co/0kr7TCbprU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 17, 2020
This further confirms that the Dolphins have kept the faith in Tagovailoa through all of the noise. They could still go on to draft Herbert, but claiming that Miami was fully out of the sweepstakes at any point in the last month was ill-advised, to say the least.
Don't always believe what you hear.