Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa is destined to be a first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Crimson Tide lefty will join a select fraternity of lefties who played quarterback in the NFL.
Frankie Albert
Frankie Albert was decades ahead of his time as a lefty QB. The Stanford product was drafted 10th overall by the Chicago Bears in 1942. He served four years in the Navy before becoming a San Francisco 49er. Albert played there through 1952. He also spent a season as a Calgary Stampeder. After his retirement, the 49ers hired him as a scout and coach. He became the head coach in 1956. He coached the 49ers for three seasons with a 19-16-1 record.
Terry Baker
Terry Baker was a Heisman winner out of Oregon State. He was the first overall pick by the LA Rams in 1963. He played with the Rams for three seasons and then for the Edmonton Eskimos while earning a J.D. at the University of Southern California Law School. He then returned to Portland where he was a founding partner at the law firm Tonkon Torp. In the NFL, Baker threw for 154 yards with 0 TDs and four picks.
Ken Stabler
Ken Stabler played at Alabama, the same school Tagovailoa spent his college career. Stabler was a second-round pick, 52nd overall. The Oakland Raiders actually drafted another quarterback, Eldridge Dickey, in the first round with the 25th pick in the 1968 AFL Draft. However, the Raiders moved Dickey, who was African-American, to wide receiver. Stabler threw for almost 28,000 yards and was a Super Bowl champ, NFL MVP in 1974 and a four-time Pro Bowler.
Bobby Douglass
Before Michael Vick or Lamar Jackson, there was Bobby Douglass, the running QB. Douglass played for four teams and rushed for 2,654 yards and 22 touchdowns.
David Humm
David Humm was a fifth-round pick of the Raiders in 1975 from Nebraska. He played for the Raiders twice and two other teams. Humm, who died in 2018, was the only Raiders player to be a member of both the 1976 Super Bowl XI and 1983 Super Bowl XVIII championship teams, without also being a member of the 1980 Super Bowl XV championship team.
Jim Zorn
Jim Zorn was a lefty legend in Seattle. He played for the Seahawks from 1976-84. Zorn played for four NFL teams and one in the CFL. He threw for more than 21,000 yards in the NFL. Zorn went on to coach Washington in the NFL and is the current coach of the XFL Seattle Dragons.
Paul McDonald
Paul McDonald was a lefty who played college ball at USC. He was a fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns and played for three NFL teams. McDonald played in 85 games and threw for more than 5,200 yards.
Boomer Esiason
Boomer Esiason came to the Cincinnati Bengals from Maryland as the 38th overall pick in 1984. Esiason had two tenures with Cincy and also played for the Jets and Cardinals. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and NFL MVP in 1988. Esiason threw for 37,920 yards.
Steve Young
Steve Young took a circuitous route to the San Francisco 49ers. Young played college ball at BYU. He signed with the USFL Los Angeles Express and then joined the Tampa Bay Bucs, who made him a first-round pick in a supplemental draft of USFL and CFL players. After two poor seasons with Tampa Bay, Young was dealt to the 49ers. All he did in SF was win three Super Bowls, become a two-time league MVP and seven-time Pro Bowler. Young threw for 33,124 yards and rushed for another 4,239.
Scott Mitchell
Scott Mitchell played college ball at Utah. He was a fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in 1990. He played for the Dolphins, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals, and the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football.
Todd Marinovich
Todd Marinovich came to the Oakland Raiders as a phenom from USC. He had all sorts of abuse issues and only lasted from 1991-93. Marinovich threw for 1,345 NFL yards. He bounced from minor league to minor league, too.
Mark Brunell
Mark Brunell had a long NFL career after playing college ball at Washington. He played for five teams from 1993-2011. Brunell was a fifth-round pick of the Packers. He was part of a Super Bowl championship and was a three-time Pro Bowler.
Doug Nussmeier
Doug Nussmeier was a fourth-round pick of the Saints out of Idaho. Nussmeier was a reserve quarterback for five seasons in the mid-1990s, spending four years with New Orleans (1994–97) and one with the Indianapolis Colts (1998). He has gone on to a long career in coaching and is currently QB coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Cade McNown
Cade McNown went from UCLA to the Chicago Bears. McNown was the 12th overall pick in 1999. He played for three teams and was out of the NFL after 2002.
Michael Vick
Michael Vick was one of the most talented and polarizing players in NFL history. He was able to run and throw with the best of them as an Atlanta Falcon. His career was derailed when he went to prison for his involvement in a dog-fighting ring. He played for the Eagles, Jets and Steelers after being reinstated by the NFL. Vick was the first overall pick in 2001 out of Virginia Tech.
Chris Simms
Chris Simms played college ball at Texas and was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Bucs. He played for four NFL teams and threw for 3,117 yards. His dad is New York Giants great, Phil Simms.
Jared Lorenzen
The late Jared Lorenzen came to the NFL from Kentucky. He spent time with the New York Giants and was part of one of their Super Bowl championship teams. Lorenzen also played for the Colts. He battled weight issues and died in 2019 at the age of 38.
Tyler Palko
Tyler Palko was undrafted out of Pittsburgh. He spent time with four NFL franchises. He was cut by the United Football League California Redwoods and was on the practice roster of the Montreal Alouettes.
Matt Leinart
Matt Leinart won a Heisman Trophy at USC and was a first-round pick by the Arizona Cardinals. He failed to live up to the headlines he earned in college as an NFL QB,
Pat White
Pat White played college ball at West Virginia. He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round (44th overall) in 2009. He also spent time with Washington. His NFL career amounted to five incompletions.
Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow had a storied college career at Florida. He was a first-round pick at the Broncos but never developed into an NFL quarterback. He continues to play minor league baseball.
Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore was undrafted out of Boise State. He played for the Lions and Cowboys. He is currently the offensive coordinator with the Dallas Cowboys.
Tua Tagovailoa
The lefty from Alabama figured to be a high draft pick in 2020. However, he suffered a major leg injury in 2019 and that has created questions about his health and recovery and ability to play in 2020. He threw for 7,400 yards and 87 touchdowns in 32 games with the Crimson Tide.
