The Miami Dolphins' coaching staff is all but set, and it's time for the new front office and personnel to turn their sights on the 2026 NFL Draft this coming April. Of course, at FanSided and other various outlets, Mock Draft SZN never dies, and on brand, Cody Williams has all the NFL teams covered in his latest three-round mock draft.
Going into the draft, the Dolphins have a lot of needs, and it's naive to think they'll have them all covered during the three-day process. However, Williams does an extensive job for Miami in covering its basis in Jon-Eric Sullivan's first draft as the team's general manager.
No one position is selected multiple times for the Dolphins in this three-rounder, and each pick has that "Yeah, I can see it" feel to it. But one that stuck out most to me was Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields, who Williams has Miami selecting with its first third-round selection.
Miami Dolphins snag WR Malachi Fields in latest FanSided mock draft
Fields spent this past season with the Fighting Irish after spending the four previous years at Virginia. Fields did not have the breakout season he intended to have with Notre Dame, but he did average a career-high 17.5 yards per reception off the 36 catches for 630 yards he totaled this year.
Still, it was a massive drop-off from the 55+ receptions and 800+ receiving yards he totaled in each of his previous two years with the Cavaliers. As a result, Fields saw his draft stock slide compared to what it was this time last year before rebounding at the Senior Bowl. Nevertheless, he did help the Irish finish with a 10-2 season, and he could help the Dolphins bolster what is expected to be a relatively weakened unit.
It is all but a certainty that the Dolphins will not keep Tyreek Hill past March for a multitude of reasons. That leaves Jaylen Waddle as Miami's WR1, but I also would not guarantee his spot on the Dolphins for 2026 in the possibility that they are offered a deal from another team that is too enticing to pass up.
Assuming Waddle stays, though, he has only Malik Washington behind him currently, who fits more as a team's WR4, WR3 at best, and several others jockeying for position on the depth chart or a roster spot. Fields doesn't profile as a WR1, but even on the Dolphins, he doesn't have to be.
The former Notre Dame standout doesn't have the speed we've grown accustomed to seeing from Miami's skill players, but he stands out in other areas where they've struggled.
At 6'4", his size is one of the first things you notice. Fields uses that size well in making himself a mismatch for opposing corners, and he's a great option for quarterbacks to target on the boundary. He's also exceptional on fade routes, which I'm sure most Dolphins fans would welcome the idea of targeting someone above 5'9" for a change, and he's a specialist when it comes to contested catches.
Even if the Dolphins decide to go with other options at WR to replace Hill, adding Fields in this range of the draft would still make sense. Whether it's Quinn Ewers at quarterback or a veteran free agent, having someone of Fields' caliber could be huge if he proves himself to be someone they can trust on third down.
Going into the process, some of the player comps for Fields are Tee Higgins and Nico Collins. I think that's a bit of a stretch given each player's WR1 ability (yes, even Higgins), but they're noted based primarily on Fields' contested-catch ability, which is his strong suit. A more realistic comparison could be Mack Hollins, who is certainly not in the tier of Higgins or Collins, but has had a lengthy NFL career due to his physicality.