The Godfather of the NFL Draft has the Miami Dolphins pulling off a power move in one of his final 2026 mocks

Mel Kiper Jr. has the Miami Dolphins pulling off an awesome maneuver in his 2026 NFL mock draft this week.

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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Apr 22, 2009; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.
Apr 22, 2009; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

I hope you are ready for one final swell of mock drafts for your Miami Dolphins.

The 2026 NFL Draft starts one week from tomorrow, meaning we’re going to see a wave of “final mocks” coming through in the next seven days. That process has already started with ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. — the essential Godfather of NFL Draft media. Kiper dropped a new mock over at ESPN this morning and it is a doozy for Miami. Just not necessarily in the way you might expect. Kiper has the Dolphins pulling off a big trade with the Arizona Cardinals in his mock draft. And, needless to say, Miami’s leadership group would be blessed to get the same offer in real life.

Mel Kiper Jr. has the Miami Dolphins pulling off a major trade in his latest 2026 NFL mock draft

Apr 22, 2009; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.
Apr 22, 2009; New York, NY, USA; ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. during the 2010 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall.Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Kiper’s deal between the Arizona Cardinals and the Miami Dolphins puts the Cardinals back into the first round. And it uses the marquee pick of the Jaylen Waddle trade to parlay the Dolphins into even more draft capital. Here are the full terms of the trade laid out by Kiper:

  • Arizona receives: Picks no. 30 & 94
  • Miami receives: Picks no. 34 & 65

Uh, yeah. Where do we sign on the dotted line for this deal? Miami moving back four spots and landing firmly in prime trade territory on Friday night while climbing nearly 30 spots in the order and from the very bottom to the very top of the third round?

Are there a few players who would trump this trade offer if they were on the board when Miami is scheduled to pick at No. 30 overall? Sure. But you’d have a hard time convincing me this isn’t a killer deal for the Dolphins, it’s a steal for Miami.

This is the world Miami is likely going to endure over the next week. They’ll likely field a lot of feelers and calls about potential business. But if this call in particular comes through, Miami really ought to jump and make happen.

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