Little Brother: Career Backup? -Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland

First Round Mock’s William Yanish unpacks Maryland quarterback (QB) Taulia Tagovailoa, and puts a surprisingly low grade on him.

Anytime you’re a younger brother you are living in a shadow.

It is next to impossible to escape the legacy that is thrust upon you by their achievements or accolades.

This is especially true in the sports world.

For every Eli Manning, there’s a Marcus Vick.

Living in someone else’s legacy can cause expectations to go haywire. Regardless of the good and the bad, most brothers just want to make their own trail and their own stories in the NFL.

Tagovailoa

Just the mention of the name conquers up thoughts, and the story I am bringing you today has an outcome that is far from set.

Maryland quarterback QB Taulia Tagovailoa is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins’ QB Tua Tagovailoa. Taulia is 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds, living up to the phrase “Little brother” by two inches and 17 pounds.

As a true freshman, he was his brother’s backup at Alabama. After transferring, Taulia spent his college career carving his own niche, becoming Maryland’s all-time leading passer.

He is now well on his way to joining Tua in the NFL.

However, the question is, just how good is he and can he overtake Tua as the better Tagovailoa?

The Yanish Report

Raw passer. Ball placement and accuracy leave something to be desired. Has tendency to throw behind receivers on crossing routes. For every NFL-caliber throw there is one that is cringeworthy. When throwing without setting his feet, the ball will sail. Footwork and overall body-mechanics need work. Decision making could improve. Off-platform throws are inconsistent at best. Locks onto receivers. Plagued by drops. Holds onto the ball too long. Tunnel-vision. Excellent mobility and pocket movement. Run-pass option (RPO), designed runs, and bootlegs are his greatest strengths. Great speed and running ability.

For the win

Old-school mechanics were taught for a reason. Dropping back and releasing the ball at the same angles and timing each time maximizes accuracy and placement. Off-platform arm angles and foot placement have become sloppy these days. It might work for Chiefs’ QB Patrick Mahomes, but that does not imply it’s meant for everyone.

Taulia is a great example of that.

I can literally see his body at the time of his release and know if the ball is on target. From 2021-2022, he did improve this.

However, the more film that I watched, the more questions came up.

In the film, he had the same tempo whether his team was tied with seconds left or if they were down by 40 points. Not at any point did I see him put the team on his back and carry them.

It’s like he was just going through the motions.

That doesn’t sit well with me.

For all that I see in him, I don’t see him finally realizing that potential. He has the pedigree and he has the skills to build on. Although outside of an astronautical jump this year, I cannot see him as more than a NFL backup.

My BIG three questions

1. Will he put in the work to fine tune his inefficiencies at QB?

2. Can he take the next step and continue his improvements from last year?

3. Can he become a better leader on the field?

How Tagovailoa stacked up and game film reviewed

My Draft Value: Fifth-Round

Game Film Evidence:

Minnesota ‘21

Iowa ‘21

Rutgers ‘21

Michigan ‘22

Purdue ‘22

Ohio State ‘22

William Yanish III is a life long football fan. He’s from the little town of Crawford, Colorado. Along the way, he’s lived in Dutch Harbor, Alaska and Brookings, Oregon. Quarterback Joe Montana was his idol growing up. A little bit of CTE from life’s adventures killed his dreams as a football player. Now, he is an aspiring writer and Draft Analyst at FirstRoundMock.com. He’s a fanatic with a dream, which is coming true.