Tua Tagovailoa's Virtual Pro Day Still Won't Be Enough to Convince Some NFL Scouts
By Brady Williams
For awhile now, the biggest knock on Alabama Crimson Tide star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been his injury history. Most recently, a dislocated hip made him miss the last 3.5 games of the 2019 season.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented Tagovailoa from getting a proper workout and physical in with NFL personnel. On Thursday, Tua participated in a private Pro Day that will be distributed to every team, and it's probably not going to be nearly as compelling as he wants.
The workout adhered to public health and safety standards amid the biggest global health crisis in modern history. That's great. What's not great is the fact that it's hard to convince teams to commit millions of dollars to Tagovailoa without personally run him through drills. Without proper protocols it's harder to evaluate him.
From me and @MikeGarafolo (1/2): Tua Tagovailoa participated in an one-hour long workout with 55 scripted throws and another 20 throws in a dynamic drill setting at a local private gym in place of a traditional pro day. There were less than 10 people present for the workout…
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 9, 2020
Scouts won't get to see him up close and in person. They won't get as much interaction with him. Virtual workouts and interviews won't be nearly as effective. As anyone who's been forced to work from home lately surely knows, something is lost when an interaction has to happen through a virtual interface.
(2 of 2)… the health and safety guidelines set forth during the COVID-19 pandemic were practiced with everyone’s health and social consciousness in mind. The video will be distributed to all 32 teams, per his reps. https://t.co/NNfzTKx0kS
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 9, 2020
He's an impressive talent, and it's a shame that he's probably going to fall down draft boards. However, with scouts unable to make their own assessments up close, it's very likely that the injuries that have plagued him are going to ruin his chances with some teams.
Injury-prone quarterbacks are always shaky choices, but with no opportunity for a real workout to confirm his recovery, Tagovailoa is going to be a victim of circumstance.