The Miami Dolphins have become a fun team to work with and analyze when it comes to 2026 NFL mock drafts. With 11 picks total and seven in the top 94, it's understandable why.
The Dolphins also have a number of holes to fill, so there are countless directions the team could go in during draft weekend. Following the Jaylen Waddle trade, though, several draft experts and other analysts have begun mocking a wide receiver with one of their two first-round selections. Yet, arguably, defense is where Miami needs the most help.
One draft expert, CBS Sports' Josh Edwards, sees the glaring needs that the Dolphins have on the defensive side of the ball and went top heavy in that direction for Miami in his latest seven-round mock draft. In fact, Edwards had the Dolphins going defense with their first three selections, including at one position many fans may not be considering at all.
CBS Sports has Miami Dolphins going defense with first 3 picks in latest mock draft
The first pick for Miami at No. 11 shouldn't come as much of a surprise. LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane has been a prospect stapled to the Dolphins over the past few months in mock drafts. The connection grew even further when Delane made mention at the NFL Scouting Combine that Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley had attempted to recruit him when he was at Boston College.
The only potential surprise here is Delane being mocked to Miami this close to the draft. Delane's stock has only gained steam in the lead up to the big event, to the point where many project him to go somewhere in the top 10 and off the board before the Dolphins pick. Yet, Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy surprisingly going No. 5 overall to the New York Giants allowed Delane to fall to Miami in this scenario.
With their second pick in Round 1, it came as no surprise that Edwards had the Dolphins going edge rusher. However, the selection of Missouri's Zion Young at No. 30, given the availability of others like Miami's Akheem Mesidor and Texas A&M's Cashius Howell, does seem somewhat puzzling.
Young is the 76th-ranked prospect on CBS Sports, by far the lowest of any player selected in Round 1 of Edwards' mock draft. It's also below Howell and Mesidor's rankings at 24 and 26, respectively.
It's possible that Edwards is factoring in Howell's shorter arms and Mesidor's age (will turn 25 before the draft) as reasons why Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan would pass on both, but it's a bit of a surprise nonetheless. In his analysis of Young, Edwards wrote, "Zion Young wins with power, consistently playing through his opponent," adding that "Young would be a good complement" to the play style of Chop Robinson.
What would come even more surprising to Dolphins fans, though, is if Miami took the next player Edwards mocked to them in the second round, Texas Tech defensive tackle Lee Hunter.
After drafting three DTs last year, many Dolphins fans probably don't even have defensive tackle on their radar at any point of the 2026 draft. But keep in mind that Sullivan didn't draft any of them. Nor did any of Kenneth Grant, Jordan Phillips, or Zeek Biggers truly stand out as guys who can lead this defense. Phillips and Biggers can be given the benefit of being Day 3 picks, but some are already calling Grant another first-round bust made by former GM Chris Grier.
Furthermore, Hunter is actually rated higher by CBS than any of the aforementioned edge rushers at 21 overall. He earned first-team All-Big 12 this past year at Texas Tech and excels at standing up double teams, according to his draft profile. At 6'4", 318 pounds, Hunter could be exactly what Hafley needs in the trenches.
Edwards didn't forget about the offense, though, for Miami. In fact, all of the Dolphins' four third-round picks went on the offensive side, starting with a pair of wide receivers in Georgia's Zachariah Branch and North Dakota State's Bryce Lance at picks 75 and 87, respectively. Yet, Miami wasn't done at WR, as Edwards also had Oregon's Malik Benson going to South Florida with the Dolphins' first of two seventh-round picks.
To round out the third round, the Dolphins beefed up their offensive line with Boise State's Kage Casey at pick 90 and Boston College OT Jude Bowry four selections later. Edwards then paired Delane with Cal cornerback Hezekiah Masses in Round 4. Miami rounded out its draft with Miami (Ohio) linebacker Jackson Kuwatch in the fifth round and Texas A&M running back Le'Veon Moss with its last pick.
Edwards was wise to double and even triple up at some positions for the Dolphins in this draft. A running back may not be in the cards for Sullivan, but you're typically throwing darts in the last round. Some of the prospects may be questionable fits for Miami, but the multiple position picks were dead-on accurate from the CBS Sports draft expert.