Former NFL QB Jake Plummer Calls Tua Tagovailoa 'Damaged Goods' Ahead of Draft

Former Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer referred to former Alabama signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa as "damaged goods" ahead of the 2020 NFL draft.

In an interview with TMZ Sports, Plummer said he would pick ex-Oregon star Justin Herbert over Tagovailoa because of Tagovailoa's injury history: "I would be leery about injuries that he's sustained already. They're not like a broken hand or a sprained wrist or something pretty similar. He's working with hips, and he's had some problems with his knees, I believe."

Tagovailoa underwent a procedure on his left ankle in 2018 and his right ankle in 2019, and his 2019 season was cut short by hip surgery.

Tagovailoa won a national title at Alabama in 2017 and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2018 after completing 69.0 percent of his passes for 3,966 yards and 43 touchdowns with six interceptions. He was well on his way to being a Heisman finalist again last season, completing 71.4 percent of his attempts for 2,840 yards and 33 touchdowns with three picks in nine games.

Tua Tagovailoa Highlights

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While Tagovailoa is an impressive talent, The Athletic's Bob McGinn reported Friday three NFL teams have taken him off their draft boards over durability concerns.

Reigning Heisman Trophy winner and former LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is the heavy favorite to be selected No. 1 overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving Tagovailoa and Herbert to battle it out to be the second quarterback drafted.

Plummer said Herbert may be a better prospect than Tagovailoa even without taking injuries into account: "He's also a big lump of clay. And the right coach, the right system could mold him into what I believe could be almost like the future of the QB position."

Herbert wasn't as celebrated as Tagovailoa in college, but he played four seasons and put up impressive numbers last year, completing 66.8 percent of his passes for 3,471 yards and 32 touchdowns with six interceptions.

The Miami Dolphins at No. 5 and Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6 figure to be in the market for a quarterback in the first round of the draft.