The Miami Dolphins did not have to "Tank for Tua" after all.
The Dolphins selected Tua Tagovailoa, the talented Alabama quarterback with injury and durability concerns, with the fifth pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft Thursday night.
The Dolphins, led by general manager Chris Grier and coach Brian Flores, often calculated and risk adverse, are taking a chance on Tagovailoa to be the franchise quarterback and lead Miami out of it rebuild.
Tagovailoa has a charisma that could captivate South Florida sports fans just like Dwyane Wade and Dan Marino have in the region for the past 37 years.
Tagovailoa has the talent, as one of college football's most exciting players the past few years, completing nearly 70% of his passes for 87 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions.
He led Alabama to a national title as a freshman after coming off the bench in the second half. He then helped them reach the title game against Clemson as a sophomore.
And he was primed to be the No. 1 pick and help the Crimson Tide make another deep playoff run last year until a season-ending hip injury ended his college career.
Tagovailoa's injury _ a hip dislocation and posterior wall fracture suffered in November _ makes him perhaps the riskiest draft pick in recent NFL history.
Tagovailoa also suffered a left-hand injury, and high ankle sprains his doctors at Alabama believed would benefit from tight-rope procedures to expediate the healing process.
But the Dolphins, by drafting Tagovailoa, believe the reward can outweigh any risk of injury.
Tagovailoa was available with the fifth pick, allowing the Dolphins to stand pat and not make a trade into the top three of the draft to land their quarterback or one of the top available offensive tackles although such maneuvers were considered.
The Cincinnati Bengals selected LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the first pick. The Washington Redskins took Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young second overall. The Detroit Lions, despite reportedly listening to trade offers, drafted Ohio State cornerback Jeffrey Okudah with the third pick, and the New York Giants took Georgia offensive tackle Andrew Thomas with the fourth pick.
Tagovailoa was the first of three first-round picks by the Dolphins when the draft began Thursday.
Unless Miami makes a trade involving their later draft picks, the Dolphins have picks No. 18 and 26 remaining in Thursday's first round.
On Friday, the Dolphins will make picks at Nos. 39 and 56 in the second round and No. 70 in the third round.
Saturday's final day of the draft, which features rounds four through seven, will see Miami have one fourth-round pick (No. 141), three fifth-round picks (Nos. 153, 154 and 173), one sixth-round pick (No. 185) and three picks in the seventh round (Nos. 227, 246 and 251).
The Dolphins entered the 2020 draft with 14 picks as a result of their extensive rebuild under Grier and Flores.
Miami traded away former first-round picks Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick at the beginning of the 2019 season for a bounty of future draft assets to aid their endeavor, and positioned the roster with younger, cheaper players with upside to uncover.
The Dolphins' roster moves left some believing the team was aiming its efforts to tanking for the best possible draft pick. And the "Tank for Tua" mantra, highlighting Tagovailoa's talent and presumption he could have been the top pick before his injury took off.
The Dolphins finished with a 5-11 record in Flores' first season in 2019, capped off with an upset road victory over the Patriots in what was quarterback Tom Brady's final regular-season game with New England after 20 seasons.
The Dolphins were also aggressive in free agency, signing 10 free agents to deals worth $243 million to aid their rebuilding effort.
The additions of players like cornerback Bryon Jones, edge rushers Kyle Van Noy, Emmanuel Ogbah, Shaq Lawson, and left guard Ereck Flowers will help Miami direct its attention to other positions of need like offensive tackle, safety, running back, defensive tackle, interior offensive lineman in the draft.
