Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa announced on Monday that he is officially declaring for the NFL draft, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Tua Tagovailoa was expected to be one of the top picks in the draft before a devastating hip injury late in the season threatened his career. He suffered a dislocated hip and broke the back wall of his hip socket. It's going to be an intense recovery process, but according to Rapoport, he is still expected to be a first-round draft pick.

If he does, according to five high-ranking executives, Tagovailoa is still expected to be taken in the first round, with all believing he'll end up in the first half of the round. He may not be the top-three pick he was slated to be before the injury, but the fall from the ailment is not expected to be catastrophic — pending the results of his medical evaluations.

When healthy, Tagovailoa is a special talent. He does a great job navigating the pocket and keeping his eyes down the field even when he is under pressure. He had a ton of talent with the Crimson Tide and he took great advantage of their speed and pushed the ball downfield.

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Tua Tagovailoa surrounded by piles of cash.

Nathanial Duffett ·

Teams are going to have to weigh if the talent is worth the risk of the injuries that he has suffered. He seems prone to high ankle sprains and that is a concern along with the hip injury.

If he can stay healthy in the NFL, he should have a long, successful career.