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The 49ers managed to get a blockbuster switch to move up to the 2021 draft of the NFL, which makes it clear that Jimmy Garoppolo’s days are numbered, and that reinforces Tua Tagovailoa’s status as a defender in the Dolphins franchise.
The deal features the Dolphins sending the third overall choice to the 49ers in exchange for San Francisco’s No. 12 overall choice this year, a compensatory choice from the third round this year and choices from the first round in 2022 and 2023.
Obviously, 49ers would not give up this type of draft capital unless they planned to catch one of the best potential defenders in this year’s draft. Negotiating up to number 3 means that the 49ers think that there are at least three defenders of the franchise in this draft, and they will accept any of them. Trevor Lawrence of Clemson, Zach Wilson of BYU, Justin Fields of Ohio, Trey Lance of North Dakota and Mac Jones of Alabama are all considered candidates for the first round.
We don’t know which of those defenders the 49ers will take, but one of them is going to San Francisco.