The rumor mill continues to churn with less than 24 hours remaining until the start of the 2020 NFL Draft. Tua Tagovailoa, the decorated quarterback prospect from Alabama, remains at the wild card of the top prospects. With smokescreens and reports from earlier in the day already clouding his NFL future, information continues to leak.

Though the exact nature of the Miami Dolphins' interest in Tagovailoa remains uncertain at this time, it appears they did give him a passing medical evaluation, according to the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. If accurate, the report suggests that Miami has the quarterback somewhere on their draft board, although not necessarily near the top. This news surfaced around the same time that NFL Network's Ian Rapoport claims that the Dolphins have interest in acquiring the No. 3 overall pick to secure an offensive tackle, possibly at the exclusion of taking any signal-caller.

If the Dolphins do pass on a quarterback, the decision would have manifold effects on the rest of the draft. Most notably, the Los Angeles Chargers would appear in line to have their choice of whichever signal-caller they prefer with their top pick besides Joe Burrow, whom most expect the Cincinnati Bengals to take No. 1 overall. Chargers general manager Tom Telesco has not made his feelings on any individual prospect known, but he stated emphatically that durability ranks "very, very high" on his team's list of priorities when it comes to scouting draft prospects.

If the Chargers have the chance to select Tagovailoa and pass, it becomes anyone's guess as to how far he can fall. The rest of the top 10 has either drafted a quarterback in the first round recently (Arizona Cardinals and Cleveland Browns), invested significant resources in a veteran free agent (Carolina Panthers), or has committed to a former Day 3 draft pick who showed promise last season (Jacksonville Jaguars). Though a few teams currently in the teens could conceivably pivot their plans should Tagovailoa fall to them, none seem like a lock to do so.

All of which could make Thursday's draft proceedings exceptionally tense. Though top quarterback prospects experience freefalls less commonly than they did in the past, the possibility remains. Should it happen, Tagovailoa's plight will suddenly draw comparisons to that of Aaron Rodgers, Brady Quinn, and the others who endured draft-day slides.

-- Jason B. Hirschhorn is an award-winning sports journalist and Pro Football Writers of America member. Follow him on Twitter: @by_JBH