In 2020, the Los Angeles Chargers held the sixth overall pick in the draft and were in a situation they hadn't found themselves in for quite some time. Philip Rivers' time with the team had come to an end and it was clear that the Chargers would be spending their first-round pick on one of the three big quarterback prospects.
Those prospects were Joe Burrow out of LSU, Justin Herbert out of Oregon, and Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama. Burrow was coming off a year where he threw for 60 touchdowns, won the Heisman Trophy, and led the Tigers to the National Championship, so everyone knew he was going first overall to the Bengals.
The bigger debate was who would go first between Herbert and Tagovailoa? The Dolphins and Chargers held the fifth and sixth picks respectively, meaning the Chargers were going to end up with who the other teams didn't want.
The good news, however, is that quarterback ended up being Justin Herbert. The Bengals, as expected, took Joe Burrow first overall and the Dolphins took Tua Taogvailoa fifth overall, leaving Herbert there for the Chargers to take at six.
It's panned out wonderfully for the Chargers, as Herbert has proven himself to be a franchise quarterback. This year in particular has shown what a boss Herbert is, as the offensive line in front of him has been abysmal but he's continued to produce and win games.
Meanwhile, the Dolphins definitely are regretting their decision to take Tagovailoa over Herbert and that could not have been clearer after the team announced they'd be benching Tua for the final three games of the year. While Herbert leads the Chargers on a playoff hunt, Tagovailoa will be watching seventh-round rookie Quinn Ewers filling in for him these final three weeks.
Dolphins' decision to take Tua Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert continues to age poorly
It's crazy to think how differently things could have gone had the Dolphins taken Herbert and left the Chargers with Tagovailoa. Would the Chargers have been as competitive as they have in recent years or would they also be searching for another quarterback this offseason like the Dolphins are going to be?
Chargers fans should really consider sending the Dolphins front office Christmas cards this year, as having Herbert and not Tua is the best possible Christmas gift they could have asked for.