Combine Notebook: Highlights from Day One with quarterbacks and pass-catchers

[Sir Purr]

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's final collegiate season ended in heartbreaking fashion. He was carted off the field after suffering a gruesome hip injury. But he was in good spirits Tuesday, focused on getting himself back to 100 percent with hopes of being a top 10 pick.


"I've been rehabbing my butt off," he said. "After March 9 when I get clearance from my doctors, then it's full go up until my pro day. I'll be ready to go."


That said, this week is about the interviews for Tua.


"I just feel like I have to be myself," he said. "If I am not the person for an organization, then I'm not the person. I just feel like if I just be myself going into the interviews, the right team will find me."


Tagovailoa said he looks up to Russell Wilson and Drew Brees, two quarterbacks who became NFL stars despite not having ideal size. But he really admires the way they conduct themselves as professionals.


"Everyone knows how good they are," he said, "but it's who they are as (people) off the field and how they go about their business."


Quarterback Jacob Eason mentioned his own quarterback idols – Peyton Manning and Brett Favre. Again, two guys with obvious talent, but also two guys who were admired for the way they approached the game.


Eason will partake in the drills, so everyone will get a chance to see his strong arm on full display.


"I'm just looking forward to competing," Eason said. "It's a big opportunity to show what I can do."


Eason, a former five-star high school prospect, started out at Georgia before losing his job to fellow NFL hopeful Jake Fromm and transferring to Washington. Eason was outstanding in his one season with the Huskies and now is firmly in the first-round conversation.


"I've been busting my butt to get where I'm at today," he said. "A lot of the guys will see me as a laid-back type person. I think that skews how people perceive my work ethic and the way I go about things. It takes a lot of work to get to this point, and there's a lot of work to do to get beyond this point."