Notes: Tua Tagovailoa says he feels 100%, could play today

The health of former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is paramount to how the top five of the 2020 NFL Draft may play out. And whether the Detroit Lions, who hold the third overall pick, are interested in him or not, the perception of Tagovailoa’s health could mean the difference between a huge trade haul and no trade options at all.

But with no Pro Days or team visits allowed in the midst of the COVID-19 restrictions around the NFL, Tagovailoa’s health will simply be a matter of faith and trust. But if you believe the quarterback at his word, he’s ready to go right now.

“I feel 100 percent,” Tagovailoa told NFL Network. “I feel like if there was a game today, I’d be able to go out and perform the same way I was able to perform in previous years. I feel as mobile as possible. I feel 100 percent.”

Teams will certainly try to do as much research to corroborate Tagovailoa’s claims, but after an extremely serious hip injury last year, there is a considerable risk in taking the Alabama quarterback high in the draft.

Still, Tagovailoa says he’s been cleared for all contact, and he looked to be moving around without any restrictions last week:

• Mike Sando of The Athletic has a very interesting article pulling NFL executive quotes on how other teams performed in the first couple weeks of free agency. Here’s a snippet of what an unnamed exec thought of Detroit’s haul:

“Detroit is getting crushed and rightfully so in many respects,” an exec said. “However, the (Halapoulivaati) Vaitai signing is actually a really good value in this market.”

• Kids getting bored? The Lions added to their at-home activity book:

• Former Lions linebacker Chris Spielman is putting his 1984 Big Ten Championship ring on ebay. In his words, “Every cent will go to help those that have been hurt by the COVID crisis.” You can bid on it here. Current bid as of this posting is $2,550.

• If you’re suffering from sports withdrawal, Fox Sports Detroit is playing a set of classic games this week. Unfortunately, there are no Lions games:

• Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue wants out of Jacksonville, and Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon speculates what it would cost the Lions to land him.

• Published just too late to make our Mock Draft Tracker, MLive’s Kyle Meinke added himself to the list of those that believe Chase Young will fall to Detroit.