Former GM and NFL analyst Michael Lombardi says two teams have told him that Tua Tagovailoa failed their pre-draft physicals.

In what could either be prophetic or a smokescreen, former NFL general manager Michael Lombardi said on his podcast that two teams have flunked former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in their pre-draft physicals.

Lombardi did not name the teams on his “GM Shuffle” podcast, so it’s not known if one is the Dolphins, who own the No. 5 overall pick.

“Two teams I’ve talked to have flunked him,” said Lombardi, adding that one of the teams is in the top 10. “They flunked him on not just the hip. It’s the multitude of injuries. The risk far outweighs the reward.”

Tagovailoa’s collegiate career ended when he suffered a hip injury that required surgery, but his camp has repeatedly insisted he is back at 100 percent. A message left for Tagovailoa’s agent, Leigh Steinberg, was not immediately returned.

It’s unclear when the physicals Lombardi referred to could have taken place. The NFL mandated on March 23 that all physicals related to the draft and free agency would be indefinitely discontinued because of the pandemic.

Tagovailoa recently posted a video on social media showing him moving fluidly.

“It’s not just his hip,” Lombardi said. “It’s his ankle. It’s his wrist. He broke his wrist the first day of spring ball one year. And then they fixed it. He came back and broke it again. He’s brittle. He is brittle. You can’t deny it.”

AL.com theorized that Lombardi may have been referring to the spring of 2018, when Tagovailoa suffered what was described as both a hand and thumb injury. He also had two ankle injuries requiring surgery.

Lombardi, a former Cleveland Browns GM, acknowledged Tagovailoa could have a fine NFL career if he stays healthy. But Lombardi also went so far as to suggest Tagovailoa could join the long list of first-round quarterback busts. Among the names Lombardi dropped were Mark Sanchez (taken fifth overall in 2009), Josh Freeman (17th in ’09) and JaMarcus Russell (No. 1 in 2007). Freeman was with the Dolphins twice in 2015.

Mock drafts range from projecting the Dolphins to trade up to No. 3 to land Tagovailoa while others have Miami passing on Tagovailoa and landing Oregon’s Justin Herbert or Utah State’s Jordan Love.

hhabib@pbpost.com

@gunnerhal

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