Former NFL general manager gives Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa a major slight
The Miami Dolphins had a ton of options at the quarterback position in the 2020 NFL Draft. According to a general manager who was picking in that draft, the Dolphins ultimately got it wrong. Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman joined CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson and re-drafted the quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds […]
The Miami Dolphins had a ton of options at the quarterback position in the 2020 NFL Draft. According to a general manager who was picking in that draft, the Dolphins ultimately got it wrong.
Former Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman joined CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson and re-drafted the quarterbacks taken in the first two rounds of the 2020 NFL draft as far as who they would want the most over the next five years. Both put Tagovailoa as fifth among five quarterbacks.
As a point of reference, Joe Burrow was taken first overall by the Bengals in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Dolphins took Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth pick, followed by Justin Herbert to the Chargers with the very next selection. The selection of Tagovailoa over Herbert has been a point of heavy debate among the Dolphins fan base ever since.
Jordan Love, who was taken with the 26th overall pick, had a breakout year for the Packers in 2023, leading Green Bay to the divisional round of the playoffs after a blowout win over Dallas in the Wild Card round. Jalen Hurts, selected 53rd, has already taken the reigns in Philadelphia, having played in a Super Bowl like Burrow.
However, Spielman, who served as the Dolphins' general manager in 2004 and the Vikings' general manager from 2012 to 2022, would do things very differently if they were drafting the quarterbacks again today. He picked Love, Burrow, Herbert, Hurts, and Tagovailoa, in that order. Wilson went Love, Herbert, Burrow, Hurts, Tagovailoa.
While the respect for Burrow is certainly understandable, the duo's adoration of Love certainly feels like a "victim of the moment" thing that Wilson admits at the beginning. He has 18 career regular season starts under his belt, with 17 of them coming last year as a full-time starter. He finished with 4159 yards with 32 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Good numbers, to be sure, but still a short track record to bank on as the best – or most desired, at least – among a group that includes several combined Pro Bowls and two Super Bowl appearances.
Meanwhile, Tagovailoa is coming off of a Pro Bowl season despite a litany of injuries, particularly to his offensive line and top two wide receivers late in the season. He led the league with 4624 yards passing last year.
We'll see soon enough what the Dolphins' general manager Chris Grier thinks of Tagovailoa, as Miami has a pending decision to make about what it will offer their franchise quarterback to remain beyond next season.
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