Why The Redskins Shouldn’t Draft Tua Tagovailoa

As a fan, you never want to lose a game. However, in a December matchup against the Giants, the loser of that game would ultimately be the winner. The Redskins losing that game actually made them victorious. As crazy as that seems, that loss handed them the keys to the number-two overall pick in the draft.

I’ve been advocating for Chase Young since that loss. I knew he was special and that he was the best player in this class. After free agency, there can even be an argument made for trading down and filling multiple holes with three potential impact starters. I can make the argument for both cases because they both have positive impacts for this organization. With that being said, there is one option with this pick that makes no sense to me. That pick is the Redskins drafting Tua Tagovailoa.

Injury History

Before I start this next part, I want to say that I think Tua Tagovailoa is a fantastic player and an even better person. He has a very high ceiling and he plays the most important position in football. Unfortunately in his case, there are injury concerns.

Tua has had surgeries on both ankles, a traumatic hip injury that could have ended his career, and several minor lower-body injuries. It was a positive sign that his hip came back clean. But all that really shows is that he healed well. That does nothing to negate that “injury-prone” label.

I’m not a medical professional, but I do know that two ankle surgeries, a severe hip injury, and some other injuries to his lower extremities display a pattern. Those injuries are alike in that they continue to happen in the same region of his body.

If Tua didn’t have those medical red flags, I could make an argument for him here at second overall. But he does have an extensive injury history. So I can’t make that argument here.

Can Haskins Be The Guy?

Dwayne Haskins may have had a rough start to the season. Many rookies have struggled at the beginning of their careers. What I like is the progression he showed as the season started to come to an end. Haskins performed admirably in weeks 15 and 16 against the Eagles and Giants.

Haskins deserves a full year as the starter to show what he can do. It can really only go one of two ways. If Haskins can go out there, win games, and prove he’s the guy, you have nothing to worry about. If he goes out and struggles, then the Redskins likely lose a lot of games. We are all familiar with what happens when the Redskins lose a lot. They get a high draft pick.

If Washington has a high draft pick in 2021, there will be some big names at quarterback there without an extensive injury history. Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields are the players that come to mind here.

What If The Redskins Do Draft Tua Tagovailoa

If the Redskins draft Tua Tagovailoa, you either waste the 2019 first-round selection on Haskins before giving him a real shot or you trade him for pennies on the dollar. That’s not a good return on investment.

Now, what if Tua gets hurt again? You spent a first-round pick on Haskins in 2019. You also have a first-round pick spent on Tua in the 2020 draft. If he suffers one more injury, he could be forced to step away from football. Maybe he continues to play at a high level, but maybe he sees a dropoff reminiscent of Robert Griffin III.

You can’t use this pick on another first-round quarterback who has so many concerns. You don’t want to be heading into the draft this time next year, still in search of a quarterback. The safe bet is draft Chase Young. Trading down and filling multiple holes is also fine. Drafting another quarterback is not.

You can follow me on Twitter @Alex2TheSimpson for more football content.

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