The San Francisco 49ers have acquired the 3rd overall pick of the 2021 NFL draft from the Miami Dolphins, a move made with the franchise seeking its “quarterback of the future”, as a potential replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo. In exchange for the #3 selection, San Francisco sent their #12 pick to South Florida, along with first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 and their compensatory third-round selection in this year’s draft, scheduled to be held in Cleveland, Ohio.
Miami, a franchise sitting on a mountain of picks over the next few years, swiftly made a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles, sending that 12th overall pick, the 123rd pick and the Dolphins own 2022 first-round selection up the coast to Philly, getting back in return the Eagles #6 overall selection, and the 156th pick in the 2021 draft.
Jacksonville, with the #1 overall selection, is expected to choose Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence to ignite a rebuilding project led by former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. The Jets, with the #2 selection, could also go with a quarterback, with a group consisting of BYU’s Zach Wilson, Ohio State’s Justin Fields, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
Although Garoppolo, acquired by the Niners in the 2017 season, did help San Francisco reach the Super Bowl in 2019, his time with the franchise has been up and down, marked by inconsistent play, and injuries causing him to miss 23 starts over the 2018 and 2020 seasons. San Francisco has only picked a quarterback three times in the history of the franchise, with Steve Spurrier taken third in 1967, Jim Druckenmiller 26th in 1997, and former Chief Alex Smith 1st overall in 2005. Hall of Famer Joe Montana was a third-round selection out of Notre Dame in 1979. By the time he had left for Kansas City 13 years later, Montana had won four Super Bowls with the franchise, creating a squad known as the “Team of the 80s”.