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Tua Tagovailoa makes things interesting for the Bengals

By Steve Rivera

TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide escapes the pocket as he looks to pass against the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA - SEPTEMBER 28: Tua Tagovailoa #13 of the Alabama Crimson Tide escapes the pocket as he looks to pass against the Mississippi Rebels at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 28, 2019 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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With Tua Tagovailoa declaring for the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals have a lot to think about with their first pick.

Tua Tagovailoa declared for the 2020 NFL Draft, and it seemed like a no brainer. Sure, he had his brother on the roster at Alabama, and an injury like the one suffered against Mississippi State on November 16 might have been reason enough to go back for a senior season. Instead, he declared for the draft on Monday and gave the Cincinnati Bengals something else, and someone else to think about.

Currently, the Bengals hold the first overall pick in the NFL Draft and Joe Burrow is at the top of the list, especially for fans and anyone else who has offered an opinion on the situation. Burrow is having a once in a lifetime kind of season in Baton Rouge, and with the National Championship Game a week away, the legend could grow even more.

However, fans would be foolish to forget what Tua was doing in Tuscaloosa before his injury. Bleacher Report has him as the second-best quarterback in the class and the seventh-best prospect overall. That’s high praise for a player who missed the last part of the season with an injury.

Without question, Tagovaiola brings some risk. He’s had injuries at Alabama and you can expect teams to go above and beyond with their typical medical due diligence. But it’s those numbers that will give teams, even the Bengals, something to think about. Over nine games he threw for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns against only three interceptions. Those are impressive by any metric.

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At 6-foot-1 and 218 lbs, Tua is from that class of emerging quarterbacks who can be a dual-threat. How the injury affects that dynamic remains to be seen. With the NFL Combine set for February 24, it will be interesting to see what he can and cannot do, but he has a lot of impressive tape and a personality that teams will be drawn to, including the Bengals.