There is no sugarcoating how long of a season it might be for the Miami Dolphins. It's perfectly rational to believe that the organization is heading in the right direction under general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, and still believe that the team will be bad in 2026.
As a result, many fans and analysts believe the Dolphins will be picking inside the top five when the 2027 NFL Draft takes place. Where exactly in the top five is up for debate, but as it stands, they are the favorites alongside the Arizona Cardinals for the No. 1 overall pick.
If the Dolphins are picking No. 1, the consensus belief is that it will be a quarterback heading to South Florida. But that may not necessarily be the case. Comparably, one highly respected analyst has Miami trading out of the top spot in favor of, arguably, the most skilled non-QB in the class in his latest mock draft.
Miami Dolphins pass on QB despite holding top pick in latest 2027 Mock Draft
Dolphins move out of top spot in trade with Browns and take Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith
If the Dolphins' first pick next year is not a quarterback, the unanimous top choice would be Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith. In fact, among 30 prospects listed on the Dolphins' big board to watch for 2027, which includes a number of quarterbacks, Smith tops the list.
On the surface, though, it's tough to believe the Dolphins would take a non-quarterback if they're holding the No. 1 pick. It's even more difficult to believe that the pick would be a WR, when one hasn't been taken with the top pick since 1996, when the New York Jets selected Keyshawn Johnson.
However, the Dolphins are in a precarious situation -- as they often find themselves in as an organization. While it seems unlikely, there is a world where the Dolphins win just a couple of games (or fewer), AND Malik Willis proves himself worthy enough to be the franchise QB. One only needs to point to how bad the Dolphins' defense is expected to be this year. If Miami is frequently losing games in the ballpark of 45-28, then it's not a QB problem that you have.
That's more or less the line of thinking that ESPN analyst Jordan Reid has in his latest mock draft. Reid has the Dolphins with the top overall pick in his first-round-only mock, but has them moving down in a hypothetical trade with the Browns, picking up Cleveland's two first-round picks (Nos. 4 and 32), a 2027 fourth-rounder, and a 2028 second-round pick in exchange for the top overall selection.
It's a fairly nice haul for the Dolphins to move down and still stay in the top five, and it couldn't have worked out better for them in this scenario. With the top three picks being quarterbacks, it gives Miami the opportunity to take Smith.
Reid calls Smith his "top-ranked player at a severe position of need," adding that "He's the best of Ohio State's recent run of first-round receivers," which is high but deserving praise of the No. 1 wideout in next year's class.
More importantly, Reid analyzes that drafting Smith would give the Dolphins the opportunity to "correctly evaluate" Willis. With a weakened WR group heading into the 2026 season and having already traded Tutu Atwell, it is one of the more concerning outlooks for the upcoming season.
Dolphins add EDGE Will Heldt to conclude Round 1
Smith is expected to be a generational talent who is too good for the Dolphins to pass up in this mock draft. However, he doesn't help Miami in the scenario I approached, where the defense is giving up 40+ points a game. So it makes sense for Reid to switch to the defensive side of the ball for the Dolphins with the extra first-rounder they picked up in the trade.
With the final pick of Round 1, Reid has Miami taking Clemson EDGE Will Heldt. As of now, pass rusher is one of the weaker position groups on the Dolphins, so this pick also makes sense. Hopefully, Chop Robinson transitions his training camp play into the regular season, and the Dolphins can trust him and Heldt for the next few years to hold down the edges.
It's important to note that although this was a one-round mock draft presented by Reid, with the Dolphins initially holding the top pick, that means they would also have the first pick of the second round. Factoring in the hypothetical trade, that means Miami would be picking back-to-back. I'd have to imagine that they would go defense again, either targeting the top cornerback remaining on the board or even doubling down with another pass rusher.
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