Tua Tagovailoa expects to be fully cleared March 9

[The Dolphin]

Tua Tagovailoa is counting down the days.

The Alabama quarterback expects to be fully cleared to resume “doing everything” on March 9.

“Up to this point, I’ve been rehabbing my butt off,” Tagovailoa said Tuesday at the Combine. “After March 9, when I get clearance from my doctors, then it’s full-go up until my pro day.”

Tagovailoa has worked on “strengthening all the parts around the hips — the glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps” after his November hip injury that required surgery. He also has thrown some.

“I’ve been throwing a good amount,” Tagovailoa said. “Not too much. Not too crazy. Trying to keep everything still going.”

He will hold a personal pro day sometime in April, but whoever drafts Tagovailoa will not have to worry about anymore rehab. He said he will be “ready to go” for the rookie minicamp and the offseason program.

The rehab finish line is in sight.

“Mentally, it’s been a grind,” Tagovailoa said. “The rehab process has been a grind. It’s not something that’s new to me. I’ve dealt with my hand injury, my left ankle and my right ankle, so I sort of know what to expect going through this process. It’s definitely been a grind.”

Tagovailoa’s injury history perhaps is the biggest concern for teams interested in drafting him. One of Tagovailoa’s doctors recently spoke out, disputing the notion the quarterback is injury prone.

Still, Tagovailoa surely will face the injury-prone question more than once this week.

“Well, first off, I think going into the interview rooms and these informal interviews, I just feel like I’ve got to be myself,” Tagovailoa said. “If I’m not the person for the 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.”