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PFF Puts Tua Among Rookie of the Year Favorites

Pro Football Focus made Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa among its favorites for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
Alain Poupart|
PFF Puts Tua Among Rookie of the Year Favorites
PFF Puts Tua Among Rookie of the Year Favorites

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will enter the NFL after one of the most productive college careers ever, and Pro Football Focus obviously thinks he'll carry that success over to the NFL.

Tagovailoa was the second favorite to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors behind only Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, according to PFF's ranking of the top 10 candidates.

Former Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers one spot after Tagovailoa, was listed as the No. 6 candidate.

Burrow, who won the Heisman Trophy while leading LSU to the national title in 2019, was the first quarterback selected in the 2020 draft and Tagovailoa was second.

"The situation Tagovailoa finds himself in is nowhere near as good as Burrow’s," PFF wrote, "and there are still some question marks surrounding his health and whether or not he will even play early on, but Tagovailoa has the traits to succeed in the NFL — even when playing in an offense like Miami’s.

"DeVante Parker is coming off a career year in terms of PFF grade and will arguably have the best quarterback he’s ever had throwing him the ball in 2020, assuming Tagovailoa plays. The former Crimson Tide star was the only college quarterback to produce elite passing grades in each of the last two years. He and Joe Burrow were the only quarterbacks who produced top-15 negatively and positively graded play rates in that same span."

Of course, exactly when Tagovailoa enters the starting lineup will play a big role in his chances of earning Rookie of the Year honors, and we've already suggested it could be later rather than sooner in 2020 because of the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick on the roster combined with readiness questions with Tagovailoa, both from a physical and learning standpoint.

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of Miami Dolphins On SI and host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press and the Dolphins team website. In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books, such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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