Miami Dolphins star Tua Tagovailoa is in the running to be the best quarterback of his draft class. However, retired safety LeRoy Butler believes Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers can surpass Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and other signal-callers from the 2020 NFL Draft.
“I think he may be better than those guys because he’s going to have that opportunity because he had to sit and wait,” Butler told TMZ Sports.
That is quite the prediction from the Hall of Famer. However, his statement might have to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, he is a Packers lifer and likely biased toward players from Green Bay.
Butler was a second-round pick in the 1990 draft, with 47 prospects getting selected ahead of him. But only three of those chosen before him were inducted into the Hall of Fame, namely Cortez Kennedy, Junior Seau and Emmitt Smith. In addition, the Florida State University product won a Super Bowl.
His playing career didn’t start off that impressively, as it took him a few seasons before he finally earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection.
So, Love could look at Butler for inspiration in his quest to become an elite quarterback. The No. 26 pick of the 2020 draft didn’t play that much in his first three years in the league, and he didn’t even play at all in the 2020 season. The following two seasons saw him take the field a combined 10 times in the regular season.
His prolonged stint on the bench was understandable because Green Bay still had Aaron Rodgers on the roster until this past offseason when the team traded the legendary quarterback to the New York Jets. The move paved the way for Love to be installed as the starting QB.
The 24-year-old had an impressive game in his first start this season, throwing for 245 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions to help the Packers run away with a 38-20 victory against the Chicago Bears.
Still, Love has a long way to catch up to Tagovailoa, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Justin Herbert.
Tagovailoa likely has other things on his mind than comparing himself to his draft classmates. He is looking to help the Dolphins make a second consecutive playoff appearance and contend for a championship. Miami is off to a good start after defeating the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1.
