The latest news surrounding the NFL doesn't involve the Miami Dolphins, but it could greatly affect them come Thursday night during the 2026 NFL Draft. Just days before the draft, the New York Giants and Cincinnati Bengals completed a blockbuster trade that will send star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II to Cincinnati.
In return, the Giants are receiving the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, which is just one spot ahead of when the Dolphins select. This now gives the Giants two top-10 picks and allows them to do their due diligence in turning their franchise around under John Harbaugh.
Initially, this might have spelled bad news for the Dolphins. With New York sliding one spot ahead of Miami, it's a natural instinct. But in truth, this trade likely greatly benefits the Dolphins, and all but assures that a top player high on their board will fall to them at pick 11.
Dexter Lawrence trade should signal good news for Miami Dolphins fans
Less than a week away from the draft, Giants general manager Joe Schoen has shown his cards a bit in his excitement for Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson. Along with several other teams, Schoen flew to Arizona over the weekend to attend Tyson's workout. And judging by the Lawrence trade that was made official pending a physical, he must have liked what he saw.
Tyson very well could be the best wide receiver in this class. However, a slew of injuries throughout his collegiate career has teams hesitant to pull the trigger early. For the Giants, pick No. 5 seems a bit rich to select such a player, with other receivers like Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon surely to be available.
However, pick 10 is more of a possibility now that the Giants are in possession of it, and as NFL Network's Mike Garafolo points out, it increases Tyson's odds of being a top-10 selection significantly. Garafolo also noted that the Giants had dinner with Tyson the night before his workout, which will only further enhance speculation that the franchise wants to pair him with Malik Nabers for second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Dolphins fans should see this as good news. Whether it be the Giants or someone else, they should be rooting for Tyson to go in the top 10. Wide receiver is a need for Miami, but it's not one they need to target at pick 11. Tate is assuredly going to land in the top 10, and if Tyson is now too, that just means that a top player is guaranteed to fall to Miami.
Handful of top prospects could fall to Dolphins
Following the news of the Lawrence trade and several insiders now believing Tyson could be the pick at 10, many outlets are updating their mock drafts. And you can't help but like the way the board falls if you're Miami.
In both USA TODAY and the New York Post's updated mock drafts, they have the Giants taking Ohio State safety Caleb Downs at No. 5 and Tyson at 10. The former has the Dolphins still taking a WR with Lemon being the guy, although Miami's own Rueben Bain Jr. is still on the board. I don't agree with this selection at all, and it would be highly unfavorable to general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan if he were to make it in this situation.
Sullivan doesn't need the fans' approval to make a selection, but coming from Green Bay, the Packers aren't known to take wide receivers in the first round. They did take Matthew Golden last year, but that was more the exception rather than the rule. And if Bain is still on the board, I don't see Sullivan going that route.
The New York Post, meanwhile, has Hurricanes offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa landing with the Dolphins, which would be a unanimous home-run pick for the Dolphins. In fact, with the Lawrence trade, I see a slight possibility that both Mauigoa and Bain will be available for Miami. If that's the case, if I'm Sullivan, I'm calling the Dallas Cowboys—who have the 12th pick and are reportedly very high on Bain—to see what they're willing to offer to move up one spot.
Nevertheless, if Tyson turns out to be the pick for the Giants at pick 10, as many are speculating, it's great news for the Dolphins. It means at least one of Bain, Mauigoa, Downs, Sonny Styles, or Mansoor Delane is likely to be there at 11. At the very least, it nearly guarantees that Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano—who the Dolphins seem to be infatuated with—will be available for Miami.
Any one of those guys would be a slam-dunk selection for Sullivan as his first for the Dolphins, with six more to go in the top 94. Give the assist to the Giants (and the Bengals) if this is how it shakes out.
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