The 2026 NFL Draft is finally here. We've seen hundreds and hundreds of mock drafts, and now, we're just hours away from seeing the official results.
It's cliché to say, but this quite possibly is the most important draft for the Miami Dolphins in recent memory. They have 11 total picks, including seven in the top 94, and a new general manager making the selections. The Dolphins are a near guarantee to be bad in 2026, but this draft will set a precedent for Jon-Eric Sullivan.
Over the past few months, I've analyzed and critiqued picks for Miami in mock drafts from various outlets. Well, now it's time for me to do one of my own in this three-round mock just moments ahead of the big event.
Miami Dolphins land Spencer Fano in latest 3-round mock draft
Using the PFSN Mock Draft Simulator and PFSN big board, I conducted my own three-round mock draft for the Dolphins with trades. With Sullivan adamant that he wants to pick up as much draft capital as possible, I felt trades needed to be included. Plus, it's just more fun that way.
Round 1 | Pick 12: Spencer Fano, OT, Utah
Trade: Dolphins send picks 11 and 130; Cowboys send pick 12 and a 2027 third-round pick
As mentioned, Sullivan wants to have as much draft capital as possible, so it's no surprise he makes a move right at the top. With the Dolphins staring at Mansoor Delane and Spencer Fano on the board, the Dallas Cowboys come calling to move up one spot. Miami has to part with pick 130 in the deal, but to get the third-rounder for next year, in what is expected to be a deep class, is too good to pass up.
Given how the board fell, Delane and Fano would have been my top choices at 11. Thus, the Cowboys made the decision for me. By all accounts, Fano seems to be the preferred prospect for the Dolphins in this slot and is probably the odds-on favorite to land in South Florida at this point in the process.
Round 1 | Pick 30: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
At No. 30, I received a couple of intriguing offers, but both required me to move down into the 50s, which I felt was too low in a more top-heavy draft. Both KC Concepcion and Brandon Cisse went off the board with the picks directly in front of me, but I still had a handful of prospects that I liked to choose from.
I debated taking a defensive tackle with Kayden McDonald and Christen Miller available. Yet, I know the Dolphins' fan base would rake me over the coals for taking a DT in the first round, even though Miami may still take one early. Toledo safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren was another player I considered here, but eventually, I landed on Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell.
Terrell was the fifth CB taken in this mock, but some believe he's being underrated in this class. The younger brother of current Atlanta Falcons CB A.J. Terrell, the Clemson product aggravated his hamstring in March during a private pro day. The younger Terrell had been expected to be a late first-round pick before that, and still might be, but teams may be wary of a lingering issue. Nevertheless, Miami needs help in the secondary badly and can afford to be patient with Terrell if needed.
Round 2 | Pick 43: T.J. Parker, EDGE, Clemson
Admittedly, I should have given T.J. Parker a closer look at pick 30. Luckily, he still fell to 43, making this a rather easy selection. Wide receiver Denzel Boston went one spot ahead to the New Orleans Saints; otherwise, this would've been a tougher decision.
The Dolphins are reportedly high on Boston, but he might be someone that they should avoid, as he lacks high-level acceleration. Parker, on the other hand, gives Miami three potential starters with their first three picks at its most needed positions.
Round 3 | Pick 83: Kamari Ramsey, S, USC
Trade: Dolphins send picks 75 and 238; Panthers send picks 83 and 119
In Round 3, I wasn't enamored with the prospects in front of me at pick 75. So, when the Carolina Panthers came calling to offer a swap of a seventh-round pick in exchange for a fourth-rounder for simply moving down eight spots, I took it.
Needing safety help, USC's Kamari Ramsey is someone I considered at No. 75 before trading with Carolina. Yet, I thought there would be a good chance he or South Carolina's Jalon Kilgore would be there with the move down, and that turned out to be true.
Round 3 | Picks 87 and 90: Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia & Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
I hadn't yet touched the wide receivers, but I think in this mock and in the official draft, Round 3 is a good spot for the Dolphins to double up on weaponry. I was pleasantly surprised to see Georgia's Zachariah Branch still available here, as I'd imagine he goes late Round 2 or early in the third.
Branch is undersized at 5'10" and is expected to primarily play in the slot, but he possesses breakaway speed that should solidify him as a Day 2 selection. Indiana's Elijah Sarratt, however, is a bigger outside receiver that the Dolphins are missing. He doesn't have Branch's speed, but his size and contested-catch ability would make him a nice complement in this Miami offense.
Round 3 | Pick 94: Derrick Moore, EDGE, Michigan
With my final selection in this three-rounder, I went back to the EDGE well to take Michigan's Derrick Moore. Many consider Moore to be a Round 2 prospect, although PFSN ranked him down in the fourth-round territory and actually gave this pick a D+ grade.
As it stands, Moore is a great run defender with a high motor. Yet, by all accounts, his pass rush needs work, as he relies too heavily on bull rushes and power moves, which won't be very effective at the NFL level. Nevertheless, the Dolphins were terrible for much of the year against the run, so if that's all Moore can help with in the early stages, it will be a welcome addition.
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