NFL GM: Tua Tagovailoa to Go No. 3 in 2020 NFL Draft, Lions Will Trade Pick

The general presumption heading into the 2020 NFL draft is that the Cincinnati Bengals will take LSU quarterback Joe Burrow with the top overall pick and that Washington will take Ohio State defensive end Chase Young at No. 2. 

That makes things interesting at No. 3, however, and one general manager told Mike Sando of The Athletic that he believes the Detroit Lions will trade the selection to a team that wants Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

"I think Detroit is going to trade the pick," he said. "Put Tua in there, but they will trade the pick. Someone else will take Tua."

Granted, it's possible that Washington could take Tagovailoa No. 2 overall. Safid Deen of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported Sunday that "New coach Ron Rivera told Tagovailoa he wants to bring him to Washington to compete with second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins during their meeting at the NFL combine."

In such a scenario, Washington could also trade Haskins. Or Washington could simply be posturing, hoping to engage with quarterback-needy teams eager to draft Tagovailoa in an effort to extract a large bounty of assets in a trade. 

Regardless, teams like the Miami Dolphins (No. 5 overall), Los Angeles Chargers (No. 6), Carolina Panthers (No. 7) or Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 9) could all be looking to move up for a player of Tagovailoa's caliber. 

B/R's Matt Miller has Tagovailoa ranked No. 5 overall on his latest big board, while Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com has him No. 7. Jeremiah called him "the ultimate point guard," adding that "If he can remain healthy, he has the potential to be one of the NFL's most efficient passers."

The 2018 Heisman Trophy runner-up threw for 7,442 passing yards, 87 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in his three years at Alabama, posting a 69.3 completion percentage and winning a national championship. Had he not suffered a season-ending dislocated hip, he would have been in the conversation for the top overall pick. 

Ohio-native Burrow seems like a lock for the Bengals after his incredible, Heisman-winning season in 2019 (5,671 passing yards, 60 touchdowns, six interceptions, 76.3 completion percentage). But Tagovailoa is a safe bet to be the second quarterback off the board. The only question remains where he'll end up, and whether that team will trade up to secure his services.