Nine months ago, as the NFL scouting combine was grinding through college prospects, a member of the Los Angeles Chargers’ contingent was tucked into a booth at a suburban Indianapolis eatery, sipping coffee and asking what the Miami Dolphins were up to with the 2020 NFL draft’s fifth overall pick. At the time, the Chargers were immersed in their quarterback evaluations and trying to shape up who would be on the board at the sixth pick.
“You think the Dolphins like [Justin] Herbert?” he asked.
The belief at the time was that Miami was locked onto Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.