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Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received a glowing report on his surgically repaired hip following a recent visit with an independent doctor, ESPN’s Stephania Bell reported a few hours before Thursday’s NFL Draft.



Bell, who is a licensed physical therapist and board-certified orthopedic clinical specialist, took to social media to relay the following update:

“I spoke w/Dr. Thomas Byrd, hip specialist in Nashville; he was independent evaluator for Tua’s medical recheck. 3 things struck me,” Bell wrote on Twitter.

“1) his x-rays looked ‘pristine’

“2) CT scan of right hip joint space mirrors the left

“3) ‘looks as good as (he’s) ever seen 5 (months) out’ post-injury”

I spoke w/Dr. Thomas Byrd, hip specialist in Nashville; he was independent evaluator for Tua’s medical recheck. 3 things struck me:
1) his x-rays looked “pristine”
2) CT scan of right hip joint space mirrors the left
3) “looks as good as (he’s) ever seen 5 mos out” post-injury

— Stephania Bell (@Stephania_ESPN) April 23, 2020

Byrd, who specializes in orthopedic surgery, was the independent physician charged with leading a medical recheck of Tagovailoa at the scouting combine in February.

Tagovailoa likely serves as the biggest wild card heading into the draft.

Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow of LSU is widely expected to be selected first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving several quarterback-needy teams vying for Tagovailoa. The interest could begin with the Miami Dolphins at No. 5 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 6.



Tagovailoa underwent two surgeries during his junior season at Alabama in 2019, one on his right ankle in October and another in November to repair a posterior wall fracture and dislocated hip, which ended his season.

Tagovailoa exited Alabama as the all-time leader in completion percentage (69.3 percent), touchdown passes in a season (43 in 2018) and career passing touchdowns (87).

–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)