If the 2026 NFL Draft were held today, the Miami Dolphins would hold the 10th pick in the first round. This would, sadly, take them out of the running to land one of the top quarterback prospects, which is a bummer considering Tua Tagovailoa's time with the team is likely over. The two likeliest names to go first overall in the 2026 draft are Indiana's Fernando Mendoza and Oregon's Dante Moore, if he declares.
While the Dolphins wouldn't be able to get one of those guys at 10th overall, that doesn't mean they're out of the running to move up and get into a higher draft spot. Gordon McGuinness of Pro Football Focus recently released a mock draft that had the Dolphins swinging for the fences and moving up to the number one pick to select Mendoza.
"With Tua Tagovailoa benched ahead of the Dolphins’ Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s obvious that Miami is in the market for a new quarterback. In this mock draft, they get aggressive to move up for one.
Mendoza recorded a 6.2% big-time throw rate and a 2.3% turnover-worthy play rate this season, which compares well with recent No. 1 overall picks Cam Ward (6.3%, 3.3%) and Caleb Williams (6.2%, 3.6%)."
Miami Dolphins swinging for fences in mock draft has fans dreaming big
The projected trade from McGuinness is that Miami would send the 10th pick, 44th pick (second-round pick), and a first and second-round pick in 2027 to the Giants in exchange for moving up nine spots to select Mendoza. It'd be a lot to surrender, but if the Dolphins could finally have a franchise quarterback, it'd be well worth it.
Dolphins fans would probably sign up for this in a heartbeat. Mendoza has been an absolute stud for the Hoosiers this year, which was proven by his winning the Heisman Trophy. There's a very high chance that Mendoza is going first overall, and the Miami native who grew up a Dolphins fan likely wouldn't be upset about his favorite team making such a move to make him their franchise quarterback.
Mendoza coming to Miami would give them their quarterback of the future and allow them a chance to compete in a difficult AFC East for years to come. They could move on from the Tagovailoa era, and hopefully, Mendoza could take them to heights that no quarterback since Dan Marino has been able to.
This would be quite the swing for the Dolphins, but the payoff could be massive.