After months of smokescreens and speculation, Tua Tagovailoa finally found his next home. The left-hander was selected No. 5 overall by the Miami Dolphins in Thursday's NFL draft, becoming the first Alabama quarterback taken in the first round since Richard Todd went No. 6 overall to the New York Jets in 1976.

Here's a look at what Tagovailoa and the Dolphins had to say following the selection.

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When you first got that call from the Dolphins, what first crossed your mind?

“It was a dream come true, man, to be able to have this opportunity. I’d honestly like to just thank owner Stephen Ross. I’d like to thank GM Chris Grier. I’d also like to thank Coach (Brian) Flores for giving me this opportunity. This is special for not just me, but for my family as well.”

What are your plans now? When are you coming to Miami, and where are you going to be spending most of your training leading up to training camp?

"With the given circumstances, I’m just going to be talking to the coaches, kind of seeing how we’re going to go about doing things as an organization. From there, really we just got to hope and pray that everything works out and we can get back to spending time as a team.

“I think for me, the most important thing is probably getting everyone’s phone number on the team and just creating relationships. Maybe starting out with the quarterbacks and working my way down to linemen. Or starting with the linemen. But just creating relationships a little at a time, especially during times like this —it’s hard. I think that’d be best."

What makes you confident you can play in 2020? Did the Dolphins talk about their plans for you?

"What makes me confident in the aspect of me being able to play would be what the doctors have told me. As far as rehab, as far as the medical rechecks, I’ve checked off all the boxes. And so that’s what I’ve been really standing on, and that’s what I’ve been going with. That’s why I would say I’ve been really encouraged to say that I’m able to play if need be.

But I think the biggest thing for me right now is being able to take it in, soak it in and enjoy it with my family and get to work."

How has Alabama prepared you for the NFL?

"I think Alabama’s prepared me with how hard everything was there. It wasn’t just the workouts. It wasn’t just the guys you were competing against. But it was also the coaching. It was also your nutrition. It was just everything, your academics, everything was made hard. And it was really about embracing hard and how you become successful through those hard times."

What are your goals as a quarterback in the NFL?

"Man, I would say first off, I just want to be able to get the ball rolling as far as understanding my plays. I just want to learn my plays, build relationships in the quarterback room, build relationships with guys in the locker room. And also, getting to know more about the coaching staff and building good relationships with them as well."

Were there any frustrations with all the talk about your hip? Did you get nervous?

"I would say I didn’t get nervous at all. For me and my family, the biggest thing was whoever decided to take a chance on us, whoever decided to pick me up, that’s where I belonged. And like I said, I’m very grateful and honored I have this opportunity to play for this organization. My biggest thing is I’m trying to prove that this is the right decision for the organization."

On picking a new number

“For me, I’m not too worried about what number I have. You know, I understand No. 13’s retired, and it should be. Dan Marino, he’s the GOAT. He’s like (Steve) McNair our there, and I have much respect for him. But whatever number I’m given by that organization, if it’s 78, 99, I’ll wear it.”

Do you expect to play and start next year?

“I’m going to go out there and compete as if I’m going to be the starter even if I’m not going to be the starter right away or the entire season. I think that has to be the mindset because you go in there and competition is usually always healthy. You not only get yourself better by doing it, but you also get the other guy better, get the entire quarterback room better that way.”

What has the year been like for you?

“This has probably been the hardest process for me to go through. I’ve gone through a lot with making this decision. I went to Nashville, went through that tornado that came through. My car got destroyed. I’m going through rehab during that process. There’s a lot of uncertainty at the same time. It was just a lot of things piling up. This was probably the most difficult time for me in my life.”

On why Tagovailoa was the right selection for this franchise

“I think for us it was going through our process. There were a lot of talented players. We really liked Tua, and we felt very comfortable at the end of the day that he would be a fit here.”

Given Tagovailoa’s injury history, how much of a gamble do you think this pick was?

“Football’s a violent game. Guys are going to get hurt. So for us, we did a lot of good work on him as we do every player. Our training staff and doctors led by Kyle Johnson do a fantastic job. So, we’re very comfortable with him.

How difficult was this process given the pandemic?

“For us, it was a normal process. I know people won’t believe that, but it is. We spent a lot of time finding out about the player, background. Like Brian (Flores) said, the scouts do a fantastic job of background information and putting us in touch with the people we need to talk to. Brian and I and coaches and scouts met with coaches on that staff who have been there and have left. So we did a lot of work like we do on every player.

“I know for us, the FaceTime is different than having them in person and seeing them. But as Brian said, the coaches did a great job of spending time with him on Zoom meetings in the spring here, getting to know him. I met him at the combine. So we felt very comfortable.”

Did you try to trade up for Joe Burrow, and was it tough to pick Tagovailoa over Justin Herbert?

"We made our calls to everyone. Yes, we reached out (to Cincinnati) just to see if they were interested. We talked to everyone, every team in the league. I’ll tell you that it’s no different with every team making these calls. Yes, we reached out.

“And the decision to take Tua — Justin’s a really good player, we enjoyed getting to know him as well. But at the end of the day, when we were making our decision, we like both players a lot, and we felt Tua was the guy for us.”

On Tua’s fit with the Dolphins

“He fit a lot of the criteria we that we talk about at the quarterback position. Good player, good person, leadership qualities. We’re very happy with the pick."

Why did Tagovailoa win out over other quarterback options?

"I’d say just going through our process. Obviously, we had a couple of criteria at every position. So, the same with Tua. The same with Austin Jackson. The same with Noah (Igbinoghene). I’m happy with all three selections. I’m comfortable with all three guys.

"But specific to the quarterback, there were a lot of good players at that position. We talked about every one of them, and we did our homework on every one of them. We had Zoom meetings for multiple days, multiple weeks. At the end of the day, we felt like that was the best choice for the Miami Dolphins.”

Will Tagovailoa have any health restrictions and do you expect him to participate fully when you get back out on the field? If so, do you see him competing for a starting job in 2020?

"I’ll say my kids are expecting him. You know, they’re big fans. They were excited to get on the phone call with him. But look, we haven’t even seen him. Obviously with the pandemic and all that’s going on, our doctors haven’t seen him. So there’s a long way to go before we can say who’s doing what in what year.

"We’re about to just get him and have a meeting first. I think it’s way too early to speculate on this year and how this is going to go. You guys know, we like to take a one-day-at-a-time approach anyway. That’s going to be the approach we’re going to have him take as well.”

On Tagovailoa being selected by Miami

“We are certainly very excited for Tua and his family. This means as much to me as any player ever for what he was able to accomplish here, not only as a player, but as a person. He was one of the most popular players we ever had with our fanbase. He could not have done more as a player. I think the Dolphins are going to get a great leader and someone who is going to be the face of their franchise, that their fans are going to love in the future. I know he is going to have a great career.”

On Tagovailoa’s injury history at Alabama

"I think Tua needs to learn a little bit about self-preservation. I think most of his injuries here occurred after he could have gotten rid of the ball. He didn’t have to take the hit that he took, and I think that he’s a great competitor and he’s always trying to make the play, so you don’t want to take that competitive spirit away. But I do think there’s a time when he needs to get rid of the ball so he doesn’t get hit. But everything else, he can do as a quarterback. "

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