Two years after Tua Tagovailoa introduced himself to college football in highly dramatic fashion, we wait to see if, amid widely held expectations of his exit for the NFL Draft, he will deliver yet another surprise.

Ever since he confidently stepped off the bench in the second half as a freshman to rally Alabama past Georgia in the College Football Playoff championship game of 2018, Tagovailoa has managed to amaze us.

Now, breaths are held from Ewa to Mobile in anticipation of what Tagovailoa might do Monday, his announced date for revealing whether he will cash in on the NFL Draft or return to Tuscaloosa for a senior year.

Convention — and the oddsmakers — overwhelmingly suggest he will submit his name for consideration for the April 23-25 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, where he would almost assuredly be a first-round selection.

But, you might remember that coming out of Saint Louis School, Tagovailoa had his choice of any school in the country to attend. Yet, he chose the toughest lineup to crack with the uphill challenge of head-to-head competition with a proven incumbent quarterback.

Such is the regard for his considerable skills that despite a season-ending dislocated right hip and fracture of the posterior wall requiring four hours of surgery that had him on crutches this week, he is currently projected to be an upper half first-round pick.

Alabama’s orthopedic surgeon has maintained that Tagovailoa will make a “full recovery” from his injuries, though the timetable is open to conjecture. One thing that you can bet on is that an army of NFL team doctors will be lined up at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis in late February to see for themselves, if he declares for the draft.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. lists Tagovailoa as the third selection, while Todd McShay, another of the network’s draft analysts, sees him as the 12th overall pick. All, of course, subject to how Tagovailoa’s rehabilitation progresses over the coming months.

At issue is whether, based upon confidential preliminary projections provided by the NFL, Tagovailoa is willing to gamble that by returning to the Crimson Tide so he can stay healthy and significantly improve his draft status for 2021.

The difference between being the first pick and mid-round 16th selection is huge. For example, the 2019 top pick got a total contract of $35.2 million ($23.6 million signing bonus), while No. 16 got $13.6 million ($8.2 million bonus).

The amount of rookie contracts is set by the league’s salary cap, which has risen approximately 6% annually in recent years.

But, to return to Alabama and chase higher returns, another national championship and a Heisman Trophy, there is also the danger that Tagovailoa, who has had surgeries on both ankles and a knee injury, could see his stock plummet with additional injuries.

Maybe it is just wishing out loud, but some around Alabama will tell you they see more than a distant possibility that he will return to the Crimson Tide. Tagovailoa himself has sent mixed signals, merely heightening the anticipation surrounding his announcement.

History tells us the vast majority of accomplished junior quarterbacks take the NFL plunge, though there have been exceptions, notably Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow and Colt Brennan, among them.

Tagovailoa, however, is the rare case, both in ability and for the nature of his injuries. Until he was driven into the turf against Mississippi State on Nov. 16, suffering a concussion, a broken nose and the hip injury, Tagovailoa was seen as a strong candidate for the No. 1 overall pick.

That spot figures to go to LSU’s Joe Burrow, but the drama belongs to Tagovailoa.