Chargers win with Tua Tagovailoa’s decision regardless of their pick

On Monday, Tua Tagovailoa entered his name into the 2020 NFL draft. Regardless of the choice with the sixth pick, the Los Angeles Chargers are winners with his decision.

After weighing the risks of returning to school with the immediate earnings that would come from declaring for the NFL draft, expected early first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa chose to declare for the 2020 draft. Of nearly any team in the NFL draft, the Chargers are among the biggest beneficiaries of Tagovailoa’s decision.

Tagovailoa’s decision to enter the draft comes at an excellent time for the Chargers. Only once since 2004 (when the Chargers selected and traded away Eli Manning) have the Chargers had a higher pick in the NFL draft than they do this year.

This gives management a rare chance to select a successor for Philip Rivers without having to give up a massive amount of draft capital. For example, the Chiefs spent two first-round picks and a third-round pick to move up to the 10th pick in the 2017 draft. While that investment is certainly worth the price when the pick is right, the Chiefs certainly would have preferred to not give up so much draft capital for their quarterback.

With Tagovailoa entering the draft, the Chargers will have another option at the most valuable position in football at a time when they have an extremely valuable pick.

While Tagovailoa certainly could be the pick at six (or the pick in a small trade-up), the Chargers are winners with Tagovailoa’s decision even if they choose to use their pick on someone else.

The reason for that is the number of quarterback-needy teams ahead of the Chargers. The general consensus among experts is that there are two teams with a quarterback need before the sixth pick: the Cincinnati Bengals and the Miami Dolphins.

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With the Bengals likely to select Joe Burrow, the Dolphins are the first team with a need at the quarterback position to pick.

Before Tagovailoa’s entry into the NFL draft, it was highly questionable if any quarterback was worth the fifth pick. With Tagovailoa present, there is a quarterback with the talent to be picked within the top five.

This means that if Tagovailoa is selected by the Dolphins, another high-end talent at a position of need will be available at the sixth pick.

The Dolphins have major needs similar to the Chargers (offensive line, wide receiver, and cornerback). Thus, if the Chargers decide to ride with Rivers for one more year and select a player at a position of need, Tagovailoa’s presence in the draft will give them one more choice at six.

So either way, the Chargers win with Tagovailoa’s decision with a crucial draft pick looming.

Should the Chargers select Tagovailoa or another quarterback in the 2020 draft or select from another position of need? Let us know your opinion in the comment section below.

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