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Former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has established himself as one of the preeminent players in the 2020 NFL Draft. Despite that fact, the Detroit Lions, who currently hold the No. 3 selection come April, “there is no chance the Lions take Tua Tagovailoa in the draft,” per Matthew Berry of ESPN, who further reiterated the no chance caveat of his statement.
Understandably, some teams have apprehensions concerning the long-term health status of Tagovailoa, who is coming off having undergone surgery for a dislocated hip. Detroit appears to be one of the team's who is not interested in gambling on his health outlook, especially when selecting so highly in the Draft.
Detroit has been intrinsically tied to Ohio State cornerback Jeff Okudah in many prominent mock drafts. With the increasing likelihood that cornerback Darius Slay is moved this off-season, Okudah appears to be a built-in replacement, who also has a very small chance of being selected before the Lions are on the clock.
The Lions may not be interested in Tagovailoa but other franchises undoubtedly are. So while Detroit may not want the southpaw signal caller, their spot in the Draft may be enticing from the perspective of rival organizations who are attempting to leapfrog one another in order to draft the 2018 Heisman Trophy runner-up.
Detroit is dealing with quarterback rumors of its own in the form of Matthew Stafford. Taking themselves — reportedly — completely out of the Tagovailoa running is a bold statement that could indicate that their set at quarterback or that they are really concerned about the left-hander NFL viability.
