It was more than just a catchy headline to general managers, scouts and coaches with a need at quarterback. "Tank for Tua" was a full-blown plan as many teams surveyed the landscape of the college football quarterback crop before the 2019 regular season began.
As scouts and GMs met over the summer to discuss the upcoming draft class, only one quarterback had near-consensus Round 1 grades: Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa.
"In our room, he was the only '1' that was discussed at quarterback," a veteran AFC scout said. "[Justin Herbert] had some love in our meetings, but back then it was just Tua.