Fortune favors the bold. The Dolphins were not only brave enough to take Tua Tagovailoa, but they were willing to let him fall to them at pick No. 5 overall and not move up in a trade to clinch him.
And now, Tagovailoa will be the new face of the Dolphins franchise, legitimately their first household-name quarterback prospect since Dan Marino.
Not that Tagovailoa hasn't been the face of a football team before. His incredibly fast rise to superstardom at Alabama was just as documented as the season-ending hip fracture he suffered last November.
Since then, the speculation has been not only about whether Tagovailoa will be healthy enough to play this fall but whether or not he'll ever be consistently healthy. On top of the hip injury, Tagovailoa has dealt with injuries to his leg and both ankles.
Interestingly enough, that's where much of the talk about Tagovailoa has been. No one's talking about his 69.3% career completion rate, or his 87 touchdowns in 32 games at Alabama, or his nine rushing touchdowns, or his 7-2 record against ranked teams. No one cares as much about his quick, compact release or his strong arm or his accuracy whether standing in the pocket or on the move.
Truth is, Tagovailoa was the Dolphins choice because of his amazing skill set and his chances to lead NFL teams to victory. But they don't have to rush him -- they can stick with Ryan Fitzpatrick to begin the season and, if they really needed to, could trot Josh Rosen (remember him?!) on the field. If there's any limitation with his hip, or if Miami simply wants to just take it easy with their rookie, Tagovailoa has the benefit of time on his side.
That's great for him but bad for Fantasy. Until it's clear Tagovailoa will start for the Dolphins, he's not worth drafting and stashing in seasonal one-quarterback leagues. Let someone else take him. The story is different in two-QB/Superflex leagues where quarterbacks carry more value. He's worth a pick around 110th overall there. And if we're talking dynasty/keeper leagues, he'll get taken around 100th overall. Rookie-only draft? Watch Tagovailoa go within the first 20 picks or so as a long-term solution at quarterback.
