Dolphins 7-Round 2026 NFL Mock Draft: Exploring how a big trade down could change everything for Miami
If the Dolphins were to find a trade down partner for their first pick, it could create a massive domino effect on their 2026 Draft.
The Miami Dolphins have been hard at work this week, stacking up fresh faces to compete for roster spots and playing time amid sweeping changes to the franchise.
Free agency for Miami did little to remove needs off the roster, but it has done a lot to reduce the frantic urgency that existed in some of their position groups. Names like Darrell Baker Jr., Tutu Atwell, Jamaree Salyer, and Lonnie Johnson Jr. all bring at least some legitimate starting experience to help create baseline expectations for play. But as GM Jon-Eric Sullivan has said, this team will be built through the draft.
What if Miami were to find a trade down partner to help build more of this roster in 2026? This week’s Miami Dolphins 7-round mock draft explores the impact of a trade out of No. 11 overall and how it could trickle down throughout the rest of the draft.
Miami Dolphins 2026 7-round NFL mock draft explores the fallout of a trade down from 11th overall
TRADE! – Round 1, pick 21 (via PITT) – T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson Tigers
TRADE TERMS: Miami receives picks No. 21 (1st-round) & 53 (2nd-round) for pick No. 11
What is Pittsburgh coming up for? That’s for you to decide. But in this scenario, Pittsburgh jumps up the board to make a splash at No. 11 overall. The trade value chart math works out, leaving Miami to pick 10 spots later in the order and pick up an extra top-60 pick in the process. T.J. Parker would be a great fit for the Dolphins as a power-style rusher; he possesses a great long-arm to collapse the edge and is an astute run defender, too. Parker may lack the elite traits to go in the top-10 of this year’s class, but he feels like a clean projection to the pros and has plenty of good tape on his resume. I like his body type amid names like Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, and Robert Beal Jr. as the other edges in the room, too.
Round 2, pick 43 – Emmanuel Pregnon, OG, Oregon Ducks
Miami likely traded out of Penn State guard Vega Ioane at pick no. 11 but a chance to come back around the horn and draft Pregnon can still give Miami a legitimate rookie starter on the line. 6-foot-4, 314 pounds, bricks for hands and a 94th percentile wingspan. Pregnon has wide edges, heavy hands, and lower-body explosiveness. It all makes for an attractive fit in Miami to compete with second-year pro Jonah Savaiinaea and newly signed Jamaree Salyer for playing time at guard.
Round 2, pick 53 (via PITT) – Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt Commodores
Here’s where the extra pick comes in for the Dolphins via the hypothetical trade down with Pittsburgh. With it, a big-bodied, middle-of-the-field athlete in Eli Stowers who has good length, a massive catch radius, and is an explosive weapon with the ball in his hands. Yes, Miami brought back Greg Dulcich. But all the best offenses in the NFL have multiple tight ends that they can throw at you in the passing game. Stowers has a highly productive receiving game profile.
Round 3, pick 75 – Julian Neal, CB, Arkansas Razorbacks
We’re starting to get the sense that Jeff Hafley likes big corners. The team has added Darrell Baker Jr., Alex Austin, and Miles Bryant. The roster already had JuJu Brents, Jason Marshall Jr., and Storm Duck in place. But if you want a BIG corner, go get Julian Neal. He’s 6-foot-2, 203 pounds, and sports 32.75″ arms. He ran in the 4.4s at the NFL Combine, posted a 96th percentile broad jump, and an 88th percentile vertical. He’s a linear athlete, but if Hafley wants guys who can disrupt release timing, this is a good way to go.
Round 3, pick 87 (via PHI) – Jalon Kilgore, SAF, South Carolina Gamecocks
Kilgore is another big defensive back with linear explosiveness. He’s a hybrid nickel defender who can play on the second level, in the slot, or rotate into deep half assignments. I could see his role mirroring that of Javon Bullard in Green Bay under Hafley — the Packers drafted him in the second-round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Kilgore is a violent tackler with a good tackle radius and strong instincts; although he could be here in this range of the draft thanks to positional value.
Round 3, pick 90 (via HOU) – Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State Panthers
If you’ve been following along with these mocks this spring, you may have been hoping to see a different big-bodied wide receiver here. To quote Nick Saban, “I’m not going to, so quit askin’!”
I love the fit of a taller-bodied player like Hurst to content on the outside and run vertical routes for Malik Willis as Miami looks to recapture some of their downfield passing prowess that flashed so much back in 2022 and 2023. Jon-Eric Sullivan promised a more diversified wide receiver room in body types — this would be a step towards that.
Miami Dolphins News
Grading the signing: Jamaree Salyer signing on with Dolphins to infuse competition to the offensive line
The Dolphins just added a potential starter to their offensive line.
Round 4, pick 111 – Zane Durant, DT, Penn State Nittany Lions
The Dolphins’ interior front has a lot of young names. Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, and Zeek Biggers were all rookies last season. Their skill sets are all different, but the one that’s most obviously missing is a pass rush specialist. Green Bay had this player on their roster in the form of Karl Brooks out of Bowling Green — Durant can be that version of the same player for Miami. Durant is compact, explosive, and dangerous when given the ability to play forward and attack the pocket. He’s just not a universal player and is smaller than the requirements to play on an every-down basis.
Round 5, pick 151 – Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OT, Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The former Washington State Cougars transfer is a buzzy mid-round target. He boasts an NFL frame at tackle and plays on the right side of the line. He’s a bit rough around the edges, but the natural talent is apparent when you watch him play. It makes him an attractive developmental name. For Miami, he could make sense behind 2026 starter Austin Jackson, who took a pay cut to stay with the Dolphins this season. He’ll be a free agent after the season.
Round 7, pick 227 – Max Bredeson, FB, Michigan Wolverines
Alec Ingold is gone. The Dolphins need a fullback. Max Bredeson is a former walk-on at Michigan who offers 250 pounds of punch power and backfield blocking ability. Sign me up if the Dolphins don’t bring home one of my favorite prospects in the class, Indiana TE/FB Riley Nowakowski.
Round 7, pick 238 (via LAC through NYJ) – Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas Jayhawks
Willis becoming the new quarterback in Miami changes the outlook for what you’re looking for in a backup. I’m of the belief that having a skill set similar to the starter is paramount for success. That was easier said than done in Miami with Tua Tagovailoa behind center due to just how unique he was as a player. Willis? Also very unique. I do see overlap with Jalon Daniels; enough that I would justify spending a pick here to get another mobile passer in the building as the team pushes forward into 2026.
NFL
The final damage report is in as the Dolphins formally release Tua Tagovailoa on Thursday
The numbers are in on the salary cap fallout for Miami.
