Stephen A. Smith Advises Patriots To Trade Up, Draft Tua Tagovailoa

Despite Tua Tagovailoa’s injury concerns, Stephen A. Smith can’t see the Alabama product sliding in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As such, Smith believes the New England Patriots should make a power play for the southpaw signal-caller.

The Patriots’ quarterback situation, of course, is the furthest thing from set in stone following Tom Brady’s departure. In addition to New England needing help at the position, Smith believes Bill Belichick and Co. might have an inside track to moving way up in the draft.

” … This dude is the real deal and if I’m the Miami Dolphins, I certainly don’t let him slide past five. No way in hell,” Smith said Friday on ESPN’s “First Take.” “And if I’m the New England Patriots, if I’m Bill Belichick, I try to somehow finagle my relationship with Matt Patricia and figure out a way for me to trade up to get him because I’ll be damned if I’m going to rely on Jarrett Stidham.”

It’s tough to imagine the Patriots selling the farm for any one player, let alone one that comes with a fair amount of risk. But contrary to what Smith projects, it seems like there’s a chance Tagovailoa could hang around in the draft longer than expected. A few reports have indicated the Dolphins might actually prefer Oregon’s Justin Herbert over Tagovailoa, and Utah Stat’s Jordan Love seems to be climbing up big boards with each passing day.

So who knows, maybe New England could put itself in position to land Tagovailoa without having to make a seismic move. Should this come to fruition, someone will need to check in on Nick Wright.

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