NFL Draft: Dolphins to challenge SF 49ers bid for Zach Wilson?

It’ll be tough for the SF 49ers to land BYU’s Zach Wilson in the 2020 NFL Draft, yet the Dolphins could be in play, too.

The SF 49ers are going to be hard-pressed to land a quarterback many think would be perfect for them, BYU’s Zach Wilson, in the 2020 NFL Draft.

After finishing 6-10 on the season and amid a flurry of speculation, head coach Kyle Shanahan could move on from his starter under center, Jimmy Garoppolo, as the Niners find themselves locked into the No. 12 overall pick in April’s draft.

Wilson, a fast riser among big boards, isn’t going to last that long into Round 1. In fact, he easily could be the top quarterback selected after Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence, who is widely expected to go No. 1 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

This, of course, opened up a slew of trade possibilities, none of them cheap from San Francisco’s vantage point, suggesting Shanahan and Co. move up to the No. 2 overall spot in a blockbuster exchange with the NY Jets who own the pick. It would likely take multiple first-round picks extending beyond 2021, as well as a number of possible second- and third-round selections.

Yet there’s another potential wrinkle in the mix: the Miami Dolphins.

It might seem foolish for the Dolphins to already admit defeat with their top pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who was selected at No. 5 overall. But after he scuffled down the stretch of the regular season, that’s been the discussion as shown in the video below:

So, is it possible Miami cuts ties with Tagovailoa as soon as a year later?

That’s what CBS Sports’ Ryan Wilson suggests could happen. In a recent mock draft of his, Wilson sends Zach Wilson to the Dolphins at No. 3 overall (the pick Miami acquired from the Houston Texans):

"Do I think this happens? No, probably not. Should the Dolphins consider every option, especially in light of the season Tua had? Yep, absolutely. Remember, Cardinals GM Steve Keim took heat for drafting Kyler Murray first overall a year after selecting Josh Rosen with the No. 10 pick and, well, it was the right decision."

Interestingly enough, Rosen is now with the SF 49ers.

But the premise makes sense, although there was a regime change with the Arizona Cardinals the year Rosen was shipped off to Miami. That’s not the case with the Dolphins this time around, but the thought of moving on from Tagovailoa and replacing him with the BYU standout has some merit.

Why this matters to the SF 49ers

Some may argue a would-be blockbuster trade up to No. 2 overall would be too much for the Niners to grasp, especially considering their roster needs elsewhere. But if a move nets a franchise-changing quarterback who can center the team for the next 10-plus years, so be it.

That’s the potential reward for being aggressive.

Yet the key X-factor here is the Dolphins are yet another team potentially in the market for a new quarterback, cutting down on the chances a top signal-caller like Wilson drops down to where San Francisco is selecting.

And even if the SF 49ers are inclined to trade up, the Jets would certainly be aware of the Dolphins’ situation and interest. That would only serve to drive up New York’s asking price, possibly pushing the Niners out of the bidding war.

Again, it seems like a distant chance Miami would give up on Tagovailoa after just one season. But there’s a precedent for it already, and doing so could ultimately force San Francisco away from Wilson in the long run.