Dolphins bold predictions before 2026 NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins smashed the reset button at the beginning of the 2026 offseason. Miami replaced Mike McDaniel with Jeff Hafley and began systematically tearing the roster down to the studs. The Dolphins quickly cut ties with multiple veterans, including wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Miami even ate $99 million in dead money to cut QB Tua Tagovailoa.

The Dolphins made some solid moves during NFL free agency, but they still have plenty of work to do getting the roster ready for the 2026 season.

Next up for the Dolphins is the 2026 NFL Draft. Miami enters the draft with 11 total selections, including two first-round picks and a whopping four picks in the third round. The Dolphins have the unique opportunity to add multiple foundational pieces for their upcoming rebuild during the draft.

Will Miami simply stick and pick in each of those spots? Or will the move up and down the board, making a few moves that surprise their fans?

Here are three Dolphins bold predictions before the draft.

Miami trades up into the top five, lands blue chip defensive prospect

The Dolphins are a hard team to figure out ahead of the draft. Miami has colossal needs at almost every single position on the roster. As such, the Dolphins could do just about anything in the draft and it could look like a sensible move.

But remember that the goal for Miami is not to simply flesh out the 2026 roster. They want to invest in players that will form the backbone of the organization for years to come. That means if the Dolphins get a chance to land a blue chip player, they should be tempted to take it.

Miami enters the draft with two first-round picks, 11th and 30th overall. That, paired with their other draft capital, gives them enough ammunition to trade up in the first round.

Hafley is a defensive specialist at head coach. It is easy to imagine that he is tempted to move up in the draft to land one of this year’s truly elite defensive talents. After all, defense is about to become the new identity in Miami.

So what would it cost to move up into the top five?

According to the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, it would not cost that much for Miami to pull of a trade with New York for the fifth overall pick. The Dolphins could send the 11th overall pick and their second-round pick (43rd overall) in exchange for the fifth overall pick and still be giving the Giants some surplus value.

The Dolphins need to at least make a call to the Giants if EDGE Arvell Reese, S Caleb Downs, or LB Sonny Styles are available at five.

The Dolphins draft more offensive players than defensive players

Hafley’s defense is going to become the identity in Miami moving forward. Understandably, that might cause some Dolphins fans to assume their team will load up on defensive talent in the draft.

But what if it goes the other direction?

Yes, the Dolphins could still make an aggressive trade up in the first round for defensive talent. But they cannot completely neglect their offense either. Especially considering how many veterans they parted ways with earlier this offseason.

If the 2026 season started today, Miami’s starting wide receivers would be Malik Washington, Jalen Tolbert, and Tutu Atwell. Their top tight end would be Greg Dulcich. And that’s ignoring the offensive line entirely.

The Dolphins may need to use a handful of picks on offensive players simply to have a competent offense this fall. Plus it is never too early to start adding playmakers around Malik Willis and De’Von Achane.

Ultimately, it would be surprising if Miami spent more picks on offense than defense to start the Hafley era. But it might be necessary.

Miami drafts a quarterback despite signing Malik Willis during free agency

One of the most obvious fits during NFL free agency was Malik Willis with the Dolphins.

Miami is the perfect team for a bridge quarterback like Willis now that they are in rebuild mode. Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan also know Willis well from their time together in Green Bay.

So why would the Dolphins use a draft pick on a quarterback this year?

ESPN’s Ben Solak made the case for why Miami might draft a quarterback during a recent quarterback-only mock draft.

“The Dolphins are invested in Malik Willis for 2026 and even into 2027, given his contract guarantees, but using an early-Day 3 pick on Allar would allow him to beat out Quinn Ewers for the QB2 job and challenge for QB1 reps in 2027 if Willis struggles,” Solak argued.

It is fair to note that Miami’s new regime did not draft Ewers. It would be presumptuous to assume he’s locked in as the team’s backup quarterback moving forward. Plus there’s no harm in using a mid-round pick to draft a quarterback, especially so early in Miami’s rebuild.

Dolphins fans may not be happy with the move, but it could certainly happen.

The post Dolphins bold predictions before 2026 NFL Draft appeared first on ClutchPoints.