The positional needs for the Miami Dolphins have been expressed ad nauseam. One of those positions is flying under the radar, though, but that's probably because the Dolphins drafted multiple players there just a year ago.
Last year at this time, then-general manager Chris Grier invested three draft picks in defensive tackle, including Miami's first-round selection of Kenneth Grant. Grant didn't live up to his draft capital, though, and Jordan Phillips and Zeek Biggers were Day 3 acquisitions.
In the end, Jon-Eric Sullivan didn't draft any of those guys, and thus, has no ties to favoring them over anyone from this year's DT class. Most fans wouldn't be surprised if Miami takes a defensive tackle in the draft, but they probably don't expect the Dolphins to use high Day 2 capital to do it. However, if the team's latest top-30 visit is any indication, Miami is evaluating defensive tackles more than some may realize.
Miami Dolphins add Georgia's Christen Miller as second top-30 DT visit
Longtime NFL insider Aaron Wilson is reporting that Georgia Bulldogs DT Christen Miller plans to visit the Dolphins, among many other teams, and has already met with several others. For Miami, Miller is the second defensive tackle they've penciled in to visit ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft after also inviting Ohio State's Kayden McDonald previously.
Miller becomes just the 12th official visit of the Dolphins, and it's important to note that players who have played at some level within the state of Florida do not count against Miami's top-30 visits. However, his invite makes things interesting for a Dolphins team that, on paper, has more glaring needs than defensive tackle.
Yet, the Dolphins didn't get high value out of Grant's selection last year, despite him playing better down the stretch. For his part, Phillips was far and away the best DT selection for Miami in terms of value, and at times, he simply performed better than Grant.
In his short tenure as GM, Sullivan has shown that he wants competition at every position. And while the interior of the defensive line may seem overcrowded due to last year's draft class, Sullivan likely wants to bring in one of his own guys to the fold.
Miller is almost certainly going to be a Day 2 pick; it's just a matter of where and when. Some outlets see him going as high as the top half of Round 2, while others could see him fall to the early part of the third round. Pick 30 may be a bit too high for the Dolphins to pull the trigger on Miller, and it wouldn't go over well with the fan base taking a DT in the first round for the second year in a row. Yet, there's a chance he's not there when they pick again at No. 43 overall.
Just last week, CBS Sports had the Dolphins taking Texas Tech DT Lee Hunter with their second-round selection, so it's not out of the realm of possibilities that they use high draft capital to bolster the interior. This is not a top-heavy class of DTs, but there are a handful of guys middling in the Day 2 range. With five picks at their disposal on the second day of the draft, the Dolphins very well could land one of them, and it's understandable for them to do their due diligence.
For it to be Miller, Miami will be attracted to his positional flexibility. The Georgia DT can line up on various shades of the center and guard, which will attract several NFL teams. He's a terrific run defender, and at 6'4" and 300+ pounds, has the size teams value at the position. Miller's pass-rush ability is limited, but given how bad the Dolphins were at times against the run last year, they'd likely value his run-stop attack over anything else.
Given the projection, Miller is not a player I see landing in Miami. Although he provides a lot of what they're looking for, I think there are other guys with similar traits who they can get later on in the process. Nevertheless, with Sullivan hinting even further that high draft capital on a DT is in the cards, Miller's selection to the Dolphins wouldn't shock me either.