As of now, Tua Tagovailoa is the prized prospect in the 2020 NFL Draft class.
The surgical lefty from Alabama dazzled in his debut season as (essentially) the full-time starter for the Crimson Tide. He completed 69% of his passes at 11.2 yards per attempt with 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions, two of which came in the national title game loss to Clemson.
Beyond the statistics, Tagovailoa is a pocket passer first and foremost, although he has enough athleticism to create with his legs. He regularly demonstrated pinpoint accuracy to all levels of the field and seemed to connect on two or three long balls each game, regardless of the opponent. He has a strong arm, isn't afraid to zip the ball through tight windows, and flashed quickness through his progressions. At around 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, Tagovailoa doesn't have "traditional" quarterback size, but hopefully the past two drafts have shifted the thinking about height at the quarterback position in the NFL.
Why's he ahead of Justin Herbert? Good question. Tua was more poised and more accurate than the Oregon quarterback -- who's quite the prospect himself -- last season.
Tagovailoa's relatively bad effort in the title-game drubbing at the hands of Clemson was mildly concerning, yet Tagovailoa looks like the cleanest quarterback prospect in this class ahead of the 2019 college football season. And the hashtag that fans of teams vying for his services can use couldn't be more straight forward -- #TankForTua.
Here's an early look at my top 100 players for the 2020 NFL Draft.
1. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Alabama
2. Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia
3. Chase Young, EDGE, Ohio State
4. Jerry Jeudy, WR, Alabama
5. Justin Herbert, QB, Oregon
6. Bryce Hall, CB, Virginia
7. Javon Kinlaw, DL, South Carolina
8. A.J. Epenesa, EDGE, Iowa
9. Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
10. Kristian Fulton, CB, LSU
11. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma
12. Kenny Willekes, EDGE, Michigan State
13. Jake Fromm, QB, Georgia
14. Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU
15. Isaiah Simmons, S/LB, Clemson
16. Grant Delpit, S, LSU
17. Trey Adams, OT, Washington
18. Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford
19. Calvin Throckmorton, OT, Oregon
20. Albert Okwuegbunam, TE, Missouri
21. Walker Little, OT, Stanford
22. Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
23. Alaric Jackson, OT, Iowa
24. Tee Higgins, WR, Clemson
25. Curtis Weaver, EDGE, Boise State
26. Tyler Biadasz, IOL, Wisconsin
27. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Wisconsin
28. Yetur Gross-Matos, EDGE, Penn State
29. Raekwon Davis, DL, Alabama
30. Essang Bassey, CB, Wake Forest
31. Derrick Brown, NT, Auburn
32. Ke'Shawn Vaughn, RB, Vanderbilt
33. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
34. Trey Smith, OL, Tennessee
35. C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
36. Tristan Wirfs, OL, Iowa
37. Collin Johnson, WR, Texas
38. Alohi Gilman, S, Notre Dame
39. Trevon Diggs, CB, Alabama
40. K.J. Costello, QB, Stanford
41. Evan Weaver, LB, California
42. Bryan Edwards, WR, South Carolina
43. D'Andre Swift, RB, Georgia
44. Troy Dye, LB, Oregon
45. Alton Robinson, EDGE, Syracuse
46. J.K Dobbins, RB, Ohio State
47. Michael Divinity, EDGE, LSU
48. Nick Coe, DL, Auburn
49. Ty Johnson, WR, Minnesota
50. Jaylon Johnson, CB, Utah
51. Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama
52. Nick Harris, C, Washington
53. Ben Cleveland, OL, Georgia
54. David Woodward, LB, Utah State
55. Darrell Taylor, EDGE, Tennessee
56. Tommy Kraemer, OT, Notre Dame
57. Colby Parkinson, TE, Stanford
58. Cam Akers, RB, Florida State
59. Shane Lemieux, OL, Oregon
60. Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
61. J.R. Reed, S, Georgia
62. Paddy Fisher, LB, Northwestern
63. Trey Sermon, RB, Oklahoma
64. Shyheim Carter, CB, Alabama
65. Julian Okwara, EDGE, Notre Dame
66. Julian Blackmon, DB, Utah
67. Ashytn Davis, S, California
68. Shea Patterson, QB, Michigan
69. Mustafa Johnson, DL, Colorado
70. Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR, Michigan
71. A.J. Dillon, RB, Boston College
72. Lorenzo Neal, DT, Purdue
73. Cam Dantzler, CB, Mississippi State
74. Emeka Emezie, WR, NC State
75. Creed Humphrey, IOL, Oklahoma
76. Thomas Graham, CB, Oregon
77. Zach Shackelford, OL, Texas
78. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
79. Jeffrey Okudah, CB, Ohio State
80. Kenneth Murray, LB, Oklahoma
81. Jeff Gladney, CB, TCU
82. Anthony McFarland, RB, Maryland
83. Kindle Vildor, CB, Georgia Southern
84. Jared Pinkney, TE, Vanderbilt
85. A.J. Terrell, CB, Clemson
86. Justin Madubuike, DL, Texas A&M
87. Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona State
88. Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville
89. Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
90. Levi Onwuzurike, DL, Washington
91. Scottie Phillips, RB, Ole Miss
92. Reggie Floyd, S, Virginia Tech
93. Kylin Hill, RB, Mississippi State
94. Kalija Lipscomb, WR, Vanderbilt
95. Marvin Wilson, DL, Florida State
96. Cole McDonald, QB, Hawaii
97. Carter Coughlin, EDGE, Minnesota
98. Ezra Cleveland, OT, Boise State
99. Lavert Hill, CB, Michigan
100. Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA