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INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa will hold a personal pro day April 9, when he expects to be healthy enough to "do everything" for NFL scouts after sustaining a season-ending injury during last year as a junior season. Tagovailoa announced the date of his personal pro day during media interviews for the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis.
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"Mentally, it's been a grind, but it's not something that's new to me. I've dealt with a hand injury, my left ankle, my right ankle. So I sort of knew what to expect going through this process, but it's definitely been a grind," Tagovailoa said.
NFL front offices use the week of the combine to analyze and test college prospects before the NFL Draft. The 2020 NFL Draft is April 23 to 25 in Las Vegas.
Tagovailoa is expected to be the second quarterback selected in the draft, behind LSU's Joe Burrow. Neither Tagovailoa nor Burrow plan to participate in drills at the combine. That's likely because they could only hurt themselves -- or their current draft stock -- if they don't perform well in the drills.
Tagovailoa dislocated and fractured his hip during an Alabama win against Mississippi State on Nov. 16. He had hip surgery Nov. 18. He said he'll be "full go" until the draft, after he expects to be medically cleared on March 9.
He said he has been intensifying his private workouts to strengthen the hip. He also has been throwing passes in those workouts, but does not know if he will throw at Alabama's Pro Day on March 24.
Tagovailoa spent more than nine hours at an Indianapolis hospital Monday undergoing scouting combine medical exams with team doctors. Most prospects only spend a few hours being medically evaluated. Tagovailoa said he was the last player to leave the facility.
NFL teams are concerned about investing a lot of money in Tagovailoa if he has potential long-term injury issues that could keep him off the field.
He said his doctors have told him he will be the same player he was -- physically -- before the injury. He also is "confident" he will be the same player he was before injuring his hip and will be ready to play by Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
The former Crimson Tide star was widely expected to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft prior to the 2019-2020 college football season. His injury -- paired with Burrow's ascension into a Heisman Trophy winner -- have changed first-round projections for the draft.
Tagovailoa said he'd be willing to sit on the bench during his rookie season if he is drafted by a team that has a veteran starting quarterback from whom he can learn. Many NFL franchises have opted for that strategy, including the Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs started veteran Alex Smith over first round pick Patrick Mahomes during the 2017 season. Mahomes won NFL MVP the next year, before leading his team to the Super Bowl this year.
"I want to be able to play as a competitor, but a lot of the guys that are really good and a lot of the greats have been mentored by big-time quarterbacks, veteran quarterbacks," Tagovailoa said.
"If a team needs me to go out and start for them, I'll do that. But if they need me to sit behind and learn from him [a veteran quarterback], I can't see what's wrong with that."
The Cincinnati Bengals have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. They are expected to select Burrow. Several other teams have been linked to quarterbacks in the top half of the draft order, including the Detroit Lions (No. 3 pick) and the Miami Dolphins (No. 5).
Tagovailoa said he has had informal conversations with several teams, including the Bengals and Lions, but has yet to meet with the Dolphins. The Hawaii native grew up as a Dallas Cowboys fan, but said he would be happy to play for any team.
"What can you do? That's sort of my mindset. I can't do anything about my injury," Tagovailoa said. "No feeling sorry for myself."
