Washington Redskins head coach Ron Rivera was reportedly not in the team's meeting with potential first-round selection Tua Tagovailoa, the Alabama quarterback.
The Redskins, possessing the second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, met with the Hawaiian-born signal-caller of the Crimson Tide in Indianapolis during the Combine. However, many around the league expect Washington to select Ohio State standout edge rusher Chase Young at No. 2. Nevertheless, the NFC East franchise did their due diligence by meeting with the 22-year-old Tagovailoa, although Rivera wasn't there, per NBC Sports' JP Finlay.
Source tells me Ron Rivera wasnt in Redskins team meeting with Tua Tagovailoa last week in Indy. Rivera was in NFL league meetings during the team's sit-down with Tua.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) March 1, 2020
Rivera was fired by his longtime franchise, the Carolina Panthers, after eight-plus seasons at the helm in Dec. 2019. Washington later hired the one-time NFC conference winning coach on Jan. 1, 2020.
With Rivera not present in the meeting with Tagovailoa, there is speculation that the talk with the Alabama prospect was just cursory, and the Redskins do not seriously plan on drafting the national champion. Tagovailoa injured his hip, which required surgery, during his last season with the SEC powerhouse, and later declared for the 2020 draft. Tagovailoa is projected to be a first-round pick, though, with possibly the Miami Dolphins or Los Angeles Chargers snatching him up.
Young has been nearly locked in at No. 2 on the draft board for a long time now, with LSU Tigers Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow the presumptive first overall pick going to the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Redskins drafted Ohio State product Dwayne Haskins with the 15th overall pick last year, so it would be odd to reshuffle the deck and draft another first-round QB one year into Haskins' NFL tenure.
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