Why Dolphins signed unknown UDFA QB over Tua's brother, Taulia Tagovailoa

The Miami Dolphins opted against drafting a quarterback with one of its seven selections in the 2024 NFL Draft. After the chaos of the draft, the undrafted free agent signing commenced. Some expected the Dolphins to quickly snag former Alabama and Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa since he's the younger brother of Miami's starter, Tua Tagovailoa.

Instead, the Dolphins inked former UTEP passer Gavin Hardison. The younger Tagovailoa remained unsigned late into Saturday night. This had Dolphins and college football fans wondering why the more accomplished passer wasn't headed to South Beach.

Why Wasn't Taulia Tagovailoa Drafted?

Taulia Tagovailoa wasn't selected in the 2024 NFL Draft due to several factors. Despite throwing for 11,356 yards, 77 touchdowns, and completing 67.1% of his attempts throughout his five-year career, the NFL rarely invests heavily in a 5'10", 185-pound quarterback who lacked elite traits and processing. Even one year after Bryce Young went No. 1, the league saw how slim the margin for error is with diminutive passers.

Tagovailoa enjoyed some terrific performances in his collegiate career. He threw for 394 yards in his second career start in 2020, then broke the 300-yard mark 14 more times in 44 games. But he was also prone to terrible performances and was too hot and cold for NFL teams to rely upon.

His penchant for bad interceptions against better competition seemed to break Maryland's back every time he needed to avoid a mistake. In 2023, he tossed four combined interceptions against Ohio State and Michigan and finished his career with more picks (nine) than touchdowns (seven) against those two over three years.

Miami wasn't the only team to pass on Tagovailoa and most of the 2024 QB class. Only 10 passers were taken, but zero were selected between 12th overall and 150 overall. That's the longest streak between quarterbacks selected in NFL history.

I expected Tagovailoa to be picked up as a free agent at some point. Whether it's to be a camp arm or compete for a third-string job, the younger Tagovailoa has gusto and arm talent. He's a better creator than his brother, but he's not nearly as accurate or as good of a decision-maker.

Who is Gavin Hardison?

The Dolphins opted to sign Hardison after the draft instead of Tagovailoa. Extending a deal to Tua's brother may have been a sign of goodwill as the team and the veteran discuss a contract extension, but they clearly went for a more traits-based option. Hardison completed only 53.7% of his passes for 40 touchdowns and 33 interceptions over six seasons.

It might seem shocking they'd take on a statistically worse player. Having watched Hardison these past few years, it's true he's not an efficient or overly accurate passer. But he was playing in a vertical, aggressive offense with horrible pass-catchers.

Hardison has a terrific deep ball that often falls to the ground due to drops or bad ball tracking. He has a cannon on his arm and is mobile enough to escape the pocket. Based on his traits, he should've been much more productive.

He also struggled with decision-making, footwork, and his passing motion. He underwent Tommy John surgery in November due to his unique throwing motion. 

It's unlikely he'll make the Dolphins' roster, but it's surprising they'd go with such a traits-based passer over Taulia, given the connection. It likely doesn't matter much, as neither is projected to be more than a preseason-caliber option.