This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 1:07 PM.<\/p>\n
This week\u2019s NFL Draft will usher in a new group of Dolphins who ideally will become the nucleus of the new regime\u2019s reincarnation of the team.<\/p>\n
It also, thankfully, will mark the end of the way-too-protracted mock draft season.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how the evaluators with national platforms (or brands) forecast the Dolphins\u2019 picks early in this draft, in what each deemed as their final mock drafts:<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Mel Kiper Jr.:<\/p>\n
\u25aa 11th overall: UM offensive tackle\/guard Francis Mauigoa: Kiper\u2019s thinking: \u201cMiami figures to have a run-heavy offense next season behind mobile quarterback Malik Willis and talented running back De\u2019Von Achane, and Mauigoa would plow open some rushing lanes. If the Dolphins preferred, they could kick him inside, where I think he has a Pro Bowl ceiling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa 30th overall: Kiper has Miami trading the selection to Arizona and acquiring the 34th pick, which he has the Dolphins using on Alabama receiver Germie Bernard.<\/p>\n
Kiper\u2019s take: \u201cBernard has underrated speed [4.48] and superb hands, and new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik could get creative in how he uses him. Bernard had 862 yards and seven TDs as a pass catcher last season, but he also ran for 101 yards and two scores.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa 43rd overall: San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson: Kiper notes \u201cJohnson has 4.4 speed and posted four interceptions and nine pass breakups last season. He is probably going to be my CB3 in the class, so this could end up being a steal for the Dolphins. They would love to find a starter in the middle of Round 2; they are in particularly rough shape at corner.\u201d<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Jordan Reid:<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 11: Utah tackle\/guard Spencer Fano. Reid has said that Miami likes Fano and justifies the pick this way: \u201cA new regime typically likes to go QB with its first draft pick, but there isn\u2019t one who makes sense for the Dolphins here. So, offensive tackle is the play, and Fano makes way too much sense as Miami looks to bolster its trenches.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Austin Jackson entering the final year of his contract and having durability concerns, Fano would provide a clear long-term option at right tackle. If GM Jon-Eric Sullivan stays true to his Packers roots, he\u2019ll want a lineman with versatility. That\u2019s Fano, who is capable of playing any spot up front.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 30: Auburn edge player Keldric Faulk. Reid says he\u2019s \u201canother prospect who has a wide range of where he could get drafted. I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if Miami took him with its earlier first-round pick, but he goes here in this projection.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Dolphins want to start their rebuild in the trenches and have a long enough runway to give the young Faulk [he turns 22 in September] time to develop. At 6-foot-6, 276 pounds, Faulk is NFL-ready as a run defender but will need further development to scratch his ceiling as a pass rusher.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 43: Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge: \u201cFew blockers play with more forcefulness and intensity than Rutledge, who would bring an edge to a Jets team that needs it. He\u2019s capable of playing all three positions on the line, and his physicality flashes on tape.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa Four third-rounders: 1). North Dakota State receiver Bryce Lance at 75: \u201cLance is a long-striding, speedy target who averaged 21.2 yards per reception last season. He would track with Sullivan\u2019s tendency to draft receivers on Day 2.\u201d<\/p>\n
2). South Carolina safety Jalon Kilgore at 87: \u201cKilgore is an interchangeable player who projects best in a STAR type of role on a Dolphins team that\u2019s rebuilding from the ground up.\u201d<\/p>\n
3). Texas Tech edge player Romello Height at 90: \u201cHeight projects as a designated pass rusher who has excellent bend to accelerate around blockers. He finished with 10 sacks last season.\u201d<\/p>\n
4). Indiana receiver Elijah Surratt at 94: \u201cSurratt won\u2019t impress anyone with his vertical speed, but he understands how to put his body in position to haul in passes. He could contribute right away for a Dolphins team without Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle this season.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler:<\/p>\n
\u25aa 11th overall: Auburn edge player Faulk. Brugler\u2019s thinking: \u201cFirst-year general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spent the past 20 years in the Green Bay organization, and there is plenty about Faulk\u2019s profile that screams \u2018Packers.\u2019 His speed and length on the edge at 275 pounds would make for a promising building block on a rebuilding roster.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa 30th overall: San Diego State\u2019s Johnson: Brugler: \u201cI don\u2019t think anyone expects this pick to be a quarterback or running back, but every other position might be on the table as the Dolphins facelift their roster. Cornerback certainly falls in the \u2018need\u2019 category, and Johnson has the talent and intangibles to be a cornerstone player on defense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa 43rd overall: Louisville receiver Chris Bell. He\u2019s a big (6-1), physical target but is coming off a late-season ACL tear.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The Dolphins\u2019 four third-round picks: Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan (75th), Stanford tight end Sam Roush (87th), TCU safety Bud Clark (90th) and Florida defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. (94th).<\/p>\n
SI.com\u2019s Albert Breer and Connor Orr:<\/p>\n
\u25aa Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane at 11 and Texas A&M receiver KC Concepcion at 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people who think [Ioane] the best lineman in the draft, but he\u2019s a guard,\u201d Breer said. \u201cHow do you feel about taking a guard that high? The comp I heard on him is Tyler Booker, who was dynamite in Dallas as a rookie. A bully of a guard, clean character. The idea of building from the inside out makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
ESPN\u2019s Peter Schrager:<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 11: UM\u2019s Mauigoa: Schrager said \u201cESPN\u2019s Adam Schefter reported that Mauigoa has a herniated disk in his back, and teams will have to be comfortable with that. I still think he\u2019s a high pick. Mauigoa is an immediate starter, and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan needs to find a bunch of those.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 30, Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy: Schrager said \u201cthe concerns around McCoy\u2019s knee are real, so I think he does go a little later than previously thought. But … I don\u2019t think he falls out of the first round. The Dolphins have 11 picks in this draft, and considering the state of their cornerback room, this is a swing worth taking. When healthy, McCoy can be a difference-maker.\u201d<\/p>\n
NFL.com\u2019s Chad Reuter:<\/p>\n
\u25aa At 11: Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate: Reuter says: \u201cThough Tate lacks the elite physical traits typically associated with a top-10 pick, he is the top receiver in this draft. Miami\u2019s new quarterback,Malik Willis, will love throwing to this former Buckeye, who runs crisp routes and possesses downfield playmaking skills.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reuter has Miami trading the 30th pick.<\/p>\n
\u25aa At No. 43: Indiana cornerback D\u2019Angelo Ponds. He\u2019s a ball-hawk with two interceptions, a forced fumble and a blocked kick for the national champs last season.<\/p>\n
\u25aa The four third-rounders: 75th (traded), 87th (Georgia tight end Oscar Delp), 89th via hypothetical trade (Arizona safety Genesis Smith), 90th (Penn State running back Kaytron Allen) and 94th (Kentucky guard Jalen Farmer).<\/p>\n
Per NFL rules, the Dolphins can bring in as many as 30 draft prospects to their headquarters (not including players who attended high school or college in South Florida). I\u2019ve confirmed 23 of the Dolphins\u2019 30; here\u2019s a look<\/a> at those 23.<\/p>\n This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 1:07 PM.<\/p>\n
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