Dolphins would electrify Malik Willis era with tone-setting first-round pick

The Miami Dolphins have a uniquely large number of picks to spend in the first three rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft, but their brand-new era will kick off in earnest with their first rookie addition.

Miami's new regime of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley hail from Green Bay, where draft capital is king. Seven picks in the top 94 of this draft, including two in the top 30, allow them to acquire loads of cheap talent to spark their rebuild.

Building depth should be the priority, and no asset should be taken for granted. It's a fine line to walk in this Moneyball-esque scenario. However, it's imperative that Sullivan and his scouting department don't skew toward "positional value" by default with the 11th overall pick.

There's a legitimate blue-chip prospect at a non-premium position who'd go a long way toward ensuring that starting quarterback Malik Willis gets off on the right foot as Tua Tagovailoa's successor.

Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq is the matchup nightmare the Miami Dolphins should invest in for Malik Willis at No. 11 overall

Due to the sheer volume of draft choices the Dolphins possess, they can afford to take the plunge on, say, a first-round tight end sooner than most.

Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq should be available when Miami goes on the clock with the 11th pick. There's no world where Sullivan and Co. should pass him up.

Before we even get into what Sadiq brings to the gridiron as a player, we need to talk about how special his athletic profile is. He lit up the NFL Scouting Combine with some of the most mind-boggling testing numbers of any prospect at any position in the event's history.

Sadiq may not be the bulkiest tight end at 6'3", 241 pounds, yet he takes pride in doing the dirty work as a run blocker. A PFF grade of 66.3 in that department underscores Sadiq's willingness to contribute to all phases of the offense, even when the ball isn't in his hands.

Having an athlete of Sadiq's caliber who's not afraid to light someone up will be invaluable to Miami's rushing attack. Imagine him getting a head of steam to attack a linebacker on the second level, with De'Von Achane screaming into the frame to explode for one of his trademark long runs.

During his time in Green Bay's front office, Sullivan had a hand in the Packers drafting Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft in 2023. The latter has proven to be a legitimate superstar who unlocked the entire passing attack for Jordan Love.

Miami figures to run a similar West Coast-style system under offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik. Re-signing Greg Dulcich gives the Fins a solid TE1, but Sadiq would open up all kinds of possibilities in 12 personnel packages due to the matchup issues he creates as a receiver and his run blocking chops.

By the time the Dolphins go on the clock at No. 11, at least one of the draft's top receivers, if not two, will be off the board. Sadiq is the clear-cut best tight end prospect, and certainly has the most upside. Rather than banking on a rookie to immediately replace Jaylen Waddle's production, Miami can find Day 2 value on wide receivers and nab a legitimate mismatch of a pass-catcher in Sadiq in Round 1.

Plus, Sadiq functions as a slot receiver more often than not. Per PFF, he lined up in the slot on 53.4% of his snaps across three seasons at Oregon.

What's wild about Sadiq is that he's not even close to reaching his full potential. The Ducks spam-targeted him on screen passes in 2025, when he still managed 560 yards and eight TDs on 51 receptions.

Considering those gimmicky circumstances, it's all the more impressive that Sadiq already shows strong route-running ability. The fact that he was targeted on so many screens is a testament, too, to how dangerous he is, no matter how the ball is distributed to him.

Willis excels as a downfield passer, and Sadiq has game-breaking speed up the seam, with his unreal vertical leap providing a near-limitless catch radius to boot.

Despite more glaring needs at cornerback and safety, Sadiq is the type of phenom who elevates an entire offense. Maybe the front office believes in Willis to succeed with an unproven supporting cast, and will attack defense early and often in the draft.

My take? Willis has all the talent in the world to be a superstar. However, he needs a lot of help in terms of offensive weaponry as things stand right now.

Sadiq is the most direct path to diversifying Miami's offense and making it more dangerous than anyone's ready for in 2026. As long as Sadiq is on the board at No. 11, Sullivan shouldn't be able to sprint the card in fast enough.