It’s official: San Francisco 49ers acquire No. 3 pick from Miami Dolphins in bombshell trade
.jpg "San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, right, and general manager John Lynch field questions during the NFL team’s football training camp Thursday, July 27, 2017, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)")
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are making a bold move, likely to add a new quarterback in the upcoming NFL draft.
The San Francisco 49ers are moving up nine spots to in a trade with the Miami Dolphins for pick No. 3, putting them squarely in range for one of the draft’s top quarterbacks.
San Francisco is sending pick No. 12, first-round choices in 2022 and 2023 and a 2022 third-round pick to Miami, a league source confirmed to The Bee. ESPN was first to report of the trade Friday morning.
It’s likely the 49ers are targeting a quarterback at that spot, likely to be BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields after Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is expected to go first overall.
Additionally, the 49ers are expected to keep Jimmy Garoppolo for the time being, per ESPN’s report, allowing him to start the 2021 season while the team grooms his eventual replacement.
Adding a quarterback comes after Garoppolo dealt with injuries that essentially derailed two of the last three seasons. He tore the ACL in his left knee during Week 3 of 2018, leading to a 4-12 finish. Garoppolo last season, coming off the team’s run to the Super Bowl, suffered a pair of high ankle sprains and only appeared in six games. San Francisco finished the season 6-10, marking the third losing season in Shanahan’s four years as head coach.
The team likely feels comfortable trading away two future first-round picks, in addition to the No. 12 and a third-round pick this year, because they have a number of key positions already filled with quality players.
The team this offseason re-signed left tackle Trent Williams and has defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw and Arik Armstead, tight end George Kittle and linebacker Fred Warner under contract. Williams is an eight-time Pro Bowler while Kittle and Warner have been named All-Pros the last two seasons. Bosa was named the league’s defensive rookie of the year after his standout campaign in 2019 before tearing his ACL last September.
The move indicates the 49ers are comfortable with their available options at No. 3. The Jacksonville Jaguars are widely expected to take Lawrence with the first-overall pick, which would ensure Wilson or Fields would be available third.
Lynch was seen at BYU’s pro day Friday, getting an up-close look at Wilson, while the team has scouted Ohio State closely during recent seasons, which included 2019 when Bosa was the No. 2 pick.
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This story was originally published March 26, 2021 at 10:17 AM.