For much of the 2019 NFL season, the Dolphins were accused of tanking so they could take Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the first overall pick in the draft. That wasn’t the case: Miami didn’t tank, ended up with the fifth overall pick, and now there’s growing talk that the Dolphins may pass on Tagovailoa even if he’s available at No. 5.
That’s because they may prefer Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert.
Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald the Dolphins have done a significant amount of work studying Herbert over the last two years, and recently had a video conference with him. According to the report, the Dolphins are impressed with Herbert’s size and arm strength but are aware of some evaluators’ concerns about about his accuracy, as well as whether he’ll grow to be a team leader as a franchise quarterback.
Tagovailoa was a better college quarterback than Herbert, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’ll be a better pro quarterback. And there are injury concerns about Tagovailoa that aren’t there with Herbert.
With the draft one week away, Herbert’s stock seems to be rising, and it wouldn’t be surprised to hear his name called before Tagovailoa’s.