The Miami Dolphins convinced their fans to buy into them tanking this season. Now they've won two of their last three and could possibly fall out of a top six pick. Even if they were high enough in the draft to take Tua, his season-ending dislocated hip injury will likely result in him missing all of the 2020 season and there's no way Dolphins fans could buy into tanking (or whatever it is they're doing) and then taking a QB who will miss the entire next season.
The Dolphins obviously aren't the only teams interested in drafting Tua, you can probably include more than half the league that would be interested. Will his injury scare teams away?
Perhaps.
But there will be a team that does draft him, it's just a matter of when.
There is a difference as to what teams make the most sense for Tua and what teams will take a chance and draft him.
Here's a look at three teams that make the most sense:
- PATRIOTS- Because why not. While Tom Brady can become a free agent after this season, I don't see him playing for any other team, EVER. Throw in the fact that the Patriots may not make a Super Bowl this season, I don't think Brady would want to go out on a poor (to his and the Patriots standards) note. So Brady comes back next year, which gives Tua a chance to sit, heal, and learn from the best in the business. Tua has all the upside in the world is coming from the best college program, you put him with the best NFL franchise, it just seems like the perfect fit. You can never count out the Patriots from anything. Plus, they do need a successor eventually and right now he's not on the roster.
- STEELERS- Again, a team with a quarterback with little time left in his career. Ben Roethlisberger has missed all but one game this season due to an elbow injury that required surgery. The Steelers do have Mason Rudolph but Tua would most certainly be an upgrade at the position. Big Ben has two more years left on his contract with an out after next season and he will also turn 38 next year. Tua can learn a lot from Ben while taking the year to recover.
- FALCONS- This one is a bit of a stretch just because next year Matt Ryan will be in the second-year of a five-year contract extension. He continues to put up passing numbers, throwing for at least 4,000 yards in every year since 2011 and was in the Super Bowl just three years ago. Why the Falcons are on this list, however, is because the they've been an inconsistent team with Ryan under center his entire career. They have three losing records despite having loads of talent around him, they have been eliminated in the first round three of the six times he's made it, and has a 4-6 playoff record. You connect Tua with fellow Alabama stars Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley with Devonte Freeman in the backfield could be difficult to stop. Another reason the Falcons are on this list is because Dan Quinn is on the hot seat and could be on the way out. Who's to say the new coach wouldn't want to move on from 'Matty Ice'?
Again, these are teams that would make the most sense for Tua seeing as that he will probably need to sit for a year to recover from his hip surgery. Teams like the Dolphins, Chargers, Bucs, Broncos, and Titans could use his help no doubt but will their fan bases be comfortable drafting someone who can't help them right away? That's a tough sell without a doubt.
We are still a ways away from the NFL draft but it's never too early to take a look at the future and what we think it will look like.