On the night before the league halted visits between college prospects and NFL teams, the Dolphins rushed to try to get Tua Tagovailoa to Miami, a league source said.
But on March 12, as much as the two sides tried to figure out the details of the visit, they could not get it done in time and Tagovailoa was unable to visit with the Dolphins’ doctors in Miami. Tagovailoa was the first college prospect the Dolphins tried to bring to Miami, per the source.
The Dolphins’ doctors last saw Tagovailoa in person at the combine, but have not had any time with him since then.
Miami holds the No. 5 selection in the NFL draft and is expected to take a quarterback in the first round. The Dolphins have done extensive homework on each of the top QBs, including Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, as it appears unlikely they will have a shot at LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
“[Tagovailoa and Herbert are] both interesting kids. I’ve gotten to know both of them through this process. They’re really good people,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said Thursday during his pre-draft teleconference. “They’re both very talented players. Both have won a lot of games. They’re both intelligent players and winners.”
Miami has an NFL-high three first-round picks and 14 total selections.