Peter King explains why Tua Tagovailoa to Patriots in NFL Draft makes sense

Share

NFL Draft week is here, and with it comes a burning question: Where will Tua Tagovailoa land?

The Alabama quarterback might be the most polarizing player in the 2020 draft; some insist he's a top-five pick, while others believe he'll slide to the middle of the first round due to injury concerns.

NBC Sports' Peter King joined the conversation Monday with an intriguing scenario in his final mock draft: The New England Patriots acquiring the San Francisco 49ers' No. 13 overall pick to select Tagovailoa.

Download the MyTeams app for the latest Patriots news and analysis

Could Tua really fall to No. 13? Joining host Mike Tirico on Monday's edition of NBC Sports' "Lunch Talk Live," King shared some intel that the Miami Dolphins would actually prefer to draft Oregon QB Justin Herbert over Tagovailoa with the No. 5 overall pick.

(The Tua talk begins at around the 7-minute mark of the video below.)

"Over this past weekend I talked to 12 general managers and several coaches," King said, " ... and I didn't find many people -- including some who know the Miami Dolphins pretty well -- thinking that (Tagovailoa) would go to Miami. ... A clear majority felt that the Dolphins are going to go with Herbert."

The QB-needy Los Angeles Chargers may consider Tagovailoa at No. 6. But if the 22-year-old QB slips through the cracks, King believes the bond between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Alabama coach Nick Saban could be an X-factor in New England trading up from No. 23 overall to draft him.

Look at Bill Belichick's relationship with Nick Saban. Nick Saban loves Tua Tagovailoa. He loves his competitiveness, he loves his drive, his ability to come back from injury, he loves everything about him. And in my opinion, that's exactly what he would tell Bill Belichick.

And if you watch the tape of Tua when he's healthy, he's a great football player. So, then you decide, OK is maybe trading this year's (first-round pick) and next year's (first-round pick) to get a guy who could be a great player for the next 10 or 12 years in the NFL? You're taking a risk. You are. But it seems to me anyway the kind of gamble that Belichick very well may take.

As King points out, the Patriots may need to trade their No. 23 pick and possibly a 2021 first-rounder to move up 10 spots for a QB coming off hip surgery.

But indications are that New England plans to take a QB at some point in this draft to compete with 23-year-old Jarrett Stidham and journeyman Brian Hoyer in 2020.

And if Saban convinces Belichick that Tagovailoa is the real deal, perhaps he'll pull the trigger. After all, the 49ers owe the Patriots one.

Contact Us