Following the trade of Jaylen Waddle, countless player combinations are popping up for the Miami Dolphins in mock drafts, with two first-round selections now at their disposal. Many are under the impression that the Dolphins will waste no time in finding his replacement and will come out of round one with a brand-new No. 1 wide receiver. Others believe that you can practically write in pen that Miami will take at least one starting defender with one of their top picks.
However, with picks 11 and 30, a lot will depend on how the board falls in front of the Dolphins and between them within selections. Yet, two players in particular are starting to stand out for Miami as real possibilities. That's because they're areas of need for the Dolphins, and who could be the best players on the board at that time.
Just days ago, I mentioned NFL.com's Eric Edholm's analysis of the Dolphins picking USC wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 11 and Tennessee defensive back Colton Hood at No. 30, and their potential impacts. Now, well-respected draft analyst Todd McShay is mocking the same thing to Miami, hinting that Lemon and Hood are strong candidates to land in South Florida.
Todd McShay is latest to mock Makai Lemon and Colton Hood to the Miami Dolphins
Mock drafts are supposed to be fun and entertaining. Most give a good observation on what could or should happen during the process, but they shouldn't be taken with any degree of certainty since no one quite knows how it's going to play out. (Except do pay extra attention to the one that Peter Schrager tends to put out just before the draft starts.)
Mock drafts do provide us perspective, though, and everyone and their mother already knows that the Las Vegas Raiders will draft Fernando Mendoza at No. 1 overall. But with the Dolphins picking at 11 and 30, it's a guessing game, and it will all depend on how the board plays out around them.
In McShay's mock, the board doesn't fall too kindly for Dolphins fans in the top 10, winding up as:
1. Raiders: QB Fernando Mendoza
2. Jets: LB Arvell Reese
3. Cardinals: OT Francis Mauigoa
4. Titans: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
5. Giants: RB Jeremiyah Love
6. Browns: WR Carnell Tate
7. Commanders: LB Sonny Styles
8. Saints: EDGE David Bailey
9. Chiefs: CB Mansoor Delane
10. Bengals: S Caleb Downs
To see even Delane, who has been heavily mocked to Miami, land in the top 10 is irritating on some level. Several Dolphins fans are holding out hope that at least one of Mauigoa, either of the two edge rushers, Tate, Styles, or Downs, remains available when it comes to Miami's time to pick.
Unfortunately, that's not the case here, nor is it in Edholm's mock draft, where the same 10 players, albeit in a different order, come off the board before the Dolphins at 11. If that is how things play out during the live NFL Draft, I would venture that Lemon and Penn State offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane would be the frontrunners for Miami. And with two draft experts now mocking the former to Miami, the USC prospect could be the Dolphins' first WR taken in the first round since Waddle in 2021.
Both Edholm and McShay had Tennessee's Jermod McCoy go one spot later to the Dallas Cowboys in their respective drafts. They varied considerably on who would fill out the rest of Round 1, but they both, interestingly enough, laid out one key detail between the Dolphins' selections. After McCoy, not one cornerback is taken in either analyst's mock again until Miami at pick 30.
The Dolphins knowingly need cornerback help, and with 11 picks in this draft, I'd wager they'll go shopping for more than one throughout the weekend. Miami will still want to draft one early, though, someone who they believe can start from Day 1, and Hood could very well be that player. He's someone head coach Jeff Hafley and defensive coordinator Sean Duggan are surely to fall in love with, given his high IQ on the field.
Mock drafts are typically all over the place. But when two of the best in the business land on the same outcome for similar reasons, it's worth taking notice as fans. When it comes to needs and BPA for every team, the actual NFL Draft could play out in a similar fashion, leading Miami to leave Night 1 with Lemon and Hood as this new regime's prized assets. And quite frankly, it would be a great start for Jon-Eric Sullivan and company.
There may be players higher on Miami's board, particularly those that go ahead of them in the top 10, but that's not what this is about. It's about Sullivan taking and hitting on guys who can be instant impact players. Both Lemon and Hood check that box.