It’s hard to take anything off the table for a team that is building from scratch. But these moves, even for the 2026 Miami Dolphins, feel next to impossible in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (28) runs for a gain during the first quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
There’s not a lot that the Miami Dolphins could do this weekend that would shock me. The roster is such an open-ended proposition, that just about everything should be considered on the table in the 2026 NFL Draft.
With so much work to be done, Miami’s leadership group could justify just about any series of moves or decisions and I wouldn’t call it ‘shocking’. Just about…but not anything. Here are three possible moves that would absolutely shock me on Thursday night.
Three moves from the Miami Dolphins that would SHOCK us the most in the 2026 NFL Draft
Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins running back De’Von Achane (28). Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Trading running back De’Von Achane for a premium (1st round pick)
First and foremost, I’d be amazed if the Dolphins were to get such an offer for Achane’s services. Maybe you wouldn’t be ‘stunned’. But I would be to see Miami ship out their star running back. Jon-Eric Sullivan said last week that Achane “is not available for trade” and Achane has since arrived to the team facility for voluntary workouts amid a contract dispute. I’m not a math guy, but 1+1 usually seems to equal 2. It feels like the Dolphins are on the verge of a breakthrough with a potential contract extension.
Seeing them dramatically swing the other way and trade Achane, especially after moving WR Jaylen Waddle this offseason, would be shocking to me at this stage.
Feb 24, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan speaks. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Trading up from the 11th overall pick
“I think we need all 11 picks, but you never say never.” – Jon-Eric Sullivan on April 15th
First of all, Sullivan is right. The Miami Dolphins do need every pick they can get right now to help bulk up the roster. But amid a hypothetical rat race to move up the board into the top-10 overall picks? I have a hard time seeing Miami winning any bidding wars despite their surplus of picks. Teams like the Los Angeles Rams, who are firmly in a win-now window, loom at 13th overall. They’re reported to be exploring aggressive moves.
The New York Jets sit at 16th overall and have not only a bigger draft chest than Miami, they have future picks, too. So if a top-10 pick goes up for sale, the only thing the Miami Dolphins will have going for them is that they’re the highest up the board. Not sure I see it.
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Drafting QB Ty Simpson
The Miami Dolphins did host Simpson on a 30 visit this spring, so they’ve shown at least some level of interest here. But if they end up calling his name with the 30th overall pick, consider me stunned. I would be floored.
I don’t believe it happens based on the team’s messaging around QB Malik Willis. The Dolphins sound like a “draft a quarterback in the mid-rounds and see what happens this year” kind of team to me.
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