Dolphins hunt for future stars with monster upside in bold 3-round mock draft

The Miami Dolphins' new leadership of head coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan hail from Green Bay, where the Packers pride themselves on drafting and developing players. They're armed with seven top-94 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft in Miami.

Hafley and Sullivan seem in lockstep. They have regular open dialogue and are OK to disagree with each other. It's about getting it right at the end of the day and making winning decisions for the Dolphins.

Well, more so than perhaps any other team, Miami can take high-risk, high-reward chances on Day 2 prospects in particular that not many other front offices could. It only helps that Hafley and Sullivan have a long runway to get the Fins turned around.

So with that in mind, this three-round mock draft is more geared toward surprise players who could be on Miami's radar, and features many instances of "scout the player, not the helmet" to address the roster's jarring medley of pressing needs.

Miami Dolphins 3-round mock draft bakes in long rebuild timeline for talent-rich two-day haul

Round 1, Pick 21 (via Steelers) — Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

• Steelers receive: 11th overall pick
• Dolphins receive: Picks 21 & 76, plus a 2027 3rd-round pick

In the mock sim I ran, the popular pick of Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman to the Vikings came up yet again. That caused Emmanuel McNeil-Warren to slide to Miami at No. 21, via a mock trade with the Steelers.

Picking up yet another third-round pick in this year's draft, in addition to a 2027 third-rounder, seemed worth it for the Fins. They still get a quality, hard-hitting box safety in EMW, who has rare range and coverage chops for someone likely to be a box player at the NFL level.

Hafley specializes in the defensive backfield, so he'd love to have a versatile chess piece like McNeil-Warren start right away. Toledo isn't some football powerhouse in the MAC, yet the Rockets have produced the likes of Quinyon Mitchell, Darius Alexander, and other drafted players in recent years.

Round 1, Pick 30 — Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State

Another non-blue-blood program guy, Chris Johnson is an elite zone cornerback and therefore a perfect scheme fit for what Hafley likes to do on defense. The Dolphins have a dreadful cornerback corps, so Johnson is the perfect candidate to step in and be their Week 1 boundary CB1.

Johnson seems like a safer bet at this point than Tennessee's Jermod McCoy, whose medical red flags are plummeting his draft stock. Perhaps Miami capitalizes on a potential McCoy slide instead, but Johnson wouldn't be a bad alternative at all.

Round 2, Pick 43 — Chase Bisontis, OL, Texas A&M

If you look at some of his PFF grades, Chase Bisontis doesn't jump out as a superior left guard prospect. Nevertheless, he's being hyped as a potential first-round pick, hinting at the upside he's yet to tap into fully. He turns 21 in June and may be an instant upgrade over Jonah Savaiinaea, who couldn't have had a much worse rookie season in 2025 as Miami's starting left guard.

Round 2, Pick 48 (via Falcons) — Skyler Bell, WR, UConn

• Falcons receive: Picks 76 & 87, plus a 2027 4th-round pick
• Dolphins receive: 48th overall pick

This may be lame considering I had Miami pulling off a similar trade in my mammoth seven-round mock draft for Bryce Lance. He feels like less of a gamble than Skyler Bell, though. Bell doesn't have the size or speed that Lance does, yet he's elite in terms of change of direction and open-field elusiveness.

At the cost of a couple of third-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick, Bell would net the Dolphins a true inside-out wideout. He'd be more appealing in the slot over Malik Washington, and probably better than Tutu Atwell on the perimeter.

Round 3, Pick 75 — Kamari Ramsey, S, USC

Whether he's aligned in the slot, in the box, or as the deep center field safety, Kamari Ramsey has produced everywhere he's been on the gridiron. Ramsey shined as USC's nickelback in 2025, missing just one of 31 tackle attempts. He could play deep safety in Hafley's scheme, or just step in as the starter in the slot. Either way, Ramsey represents great value at No. 75 overall.

Round 3, Pick 90 — Kaleb Proctor, DL, SE Louisiana

Miami has a lot of big, non-sudden bodies at defensive tackle. The current group doesn't really have a speedy interior pass-rushing threat. Zach Sieler is fine in pushing the pocket, but the Fins could use a more explosive change-up in the rotation.

That's where Kaleb Proctor could be a huge help. A potential starter somewhere down the line, Proctor dominated FCS competition and even balled out against LSU. He has the juice. He has the goods. He believes he can play just about anywhere on the d-line, and who's to argue with him?

Round 3, Pick 94 — Jeff Caldwell, WR, Cincinnati

This is going to be *way* early for some people on Jeff Caldwell, but my goodness, what a talent this man is. Again, the Dolphins have four third-round picks. Caldwell is 168th on the consensus big board, but NFL.com's Lance Zierlein projects him to be off the board in Round 4. I probably have Caldwell a little high at No. 66.

Anyway, 94th splits the difference between those all-over-the-place projections. If an athlete near Calvin Johnson's caliber is on the board, and you have a need at wide receiver, and an excellent downfield passer in Willis, you make that pick 100 times out of 100.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow