Best ways for Dolphins to maximize draft capital surplus in 2026

By nailing a Day 2 draft pick or two, making one or two solid free-agent moves, and figuring out a graceful way to navigate around Tua Tagovailoa's cap hit now that he's been released from their books, the Miami Dolphins' rebuild could kick off with a bang.

You'd think that nailing two Day 2 draft picks would prove elusive for most teams, which are only allotted two such selections of their own each year. Well, good news for new Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan: He has a second-round pick and three third-rounders to play with in the 2026 NFL Draft. And he could have more capital if someone like De'Von Achane gets traded before draft day.

Sullivan must be pretty dialed in as a longtime Green Bay Packer when it comes to their organization's heavy reliance on draft/develop versus going all in on free agency or star player trades. Here's how he can game his 2026 draft assets for maximum efficacy to expedite this Miami turnaround.

The Miami Dolphins must take advantage of their immense draft capital

Exploit the needs of more desperate teams in Round 1

At this point, the more dart throws the Dolphins can get in the draft, the better off they'll be. Although trading out of the 11th overall pick could mean missing out on nabbing the first cornerback off the board, that position is stacked and should be flush with Day 2 options.

So many teams have multiple first-round picks. All of them are more desperate, one way or another, than Miami is in 2026.

Could easily see Jerry Jones getting on the horn to have his Dallas Cowboys pick back-to-back at Nos. 11 and 12, couldn't you? They don't have a third-round pick, but a fourth-rounder on top of added 2027 draft capital could be compelling for Sullivan to mull over.

Don't sleep on multiple Day 1 trade-downs by Miami, either. Perhaps the Chiefs come up from the 29th pick they got in the Trent McDuffie trade once the Fins trade back to, say, No. 20 with Dallas.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman is always a threat to make a deal. He could very well come up from the 23rd pick to No. 11. The AFC East rival Buffalo Bills (26th pick) are also quite desperate. Sullivan could fleece Brandon Beane and have a real feather in his cap going forward.

Let it rip on one of the high-upside draft QBs

It should be either late Day 2 or early Day 3 when the Dolphins can explore QB options in the draft, now that Malik Willis is entering the fold as their clear starter.

Arkansas dual-threat dynamo Taylen Green and North Dakota State star Cole Payton pop out as players the new Fins regime ought to consider.

Mind you, after I wrote that linked piece above, Green took a flamethrower to the NFL Scouting Combine with his performance.

Payton wasn't a slouch in his own right in Indianapolis. There was buzz about a week before the Combine that Payton might, in fact, be this draft's QB2. He's not quite the dynamic athlete Green is (nobody is, really), but Payton can make plays with his legs and has a huge arm in his own right.

Look at the type of company Payton keeps in his production profile, albeit against FCS competition.

It'd behoove Jon-Eric Sullivan to take a swing at Green or Payton. I'd honestly lean toward the latter if he wants less of a project from a pure passing standpoint.

So many different ways for the Dolphins to go in the 2026 NFL Draft. Sullivan must be racing to the office every day in absolute glee as he tries to piece this exciting puzzle together.