The Miami Dolphins are on their bye ahead of a Week 13 game against the New Orleans Saints, which makes it an excellent time to look ahead to the future.
The Dolphins are 4-7 and already have parted ways with General Manager Chris Grier. They might go on a mini-run to get back to .500, but the odds of them making the playoffs are incredibly low.
So, we’re doing our first mock draft of the season. Since it’s so early in the process, we’re keeping this to three rounds, during which the Dolphins have five picks.
Miami’s team needs, the draft order, and which players are in the class will change drastically by April, so don’t get too upset about the specific players selected here. This exercise is more about finding the right prototypes at positions this early in the process.
For this mock, we used Stick to the Model because it had the most accurate draft order, following the trade deadline.
Let’s get into it.
Picking 11th in this class might be a bit tough. The quarterbacks and top offensive tackles usually are off the board, and the cornerback class doesn’t quite have a player worth taking this high.
So we went with an Ohio State receiver who has shown impressive growth this season. Carnell Tate is 6-3, 195, and is one of the best deep threats in the country. He’s an excellent vertical route runner and does a great job in contested situations.
Tyreek Hill’s future is uncertain, and nobody outside of Jaylen Waddle has proven to be a reliable target. Tate complements Waddle’s skill set incredibly well and would give the Dolphins a different type of target downfield.
The was a "best player available" selection, but there's no doubt Miami needs a player like Tate.
One of our overall goals for this draft was to continue making the Dolphins a more physical team. Well, Quincy Rhodes should help accomplish that.
He’s 6-6, 275, and has produced seven sacks on 22 quarterback hurries, according to PFF. The Arkansas product has good length and strength to set his floor fairly high, and Miami really lacks power rushers.
Jaelan Phillips was traded, Bradley Chubb is a likely cut candidate, and Matthew Judon is a free agent. That leaves Chop Robinson as the only edge rusher of consequence on the roster, and he’s struggled this season.
Getting someone with more size to complement him seems like a good plan.
Blake Miller’s stock seems to be all over the place. He’s gone in the first round of some mocks but on Day 3 in others. For now, we’ll scoop him up in the third round and call it a nice win.
It’s time for the Dolphins to consider moving on from Austin Jackson, as he’s missed more than half of Miami’s games in four of the last five seasons.
Miller, listed at 6-6, 315, is a three-year starter at right tackle for the Clemson Tigers. He shows solid athletic ability and should have the length to hold up at tackle long term.
We would have preferred to address cornerback earlier, but it just didn’t fall our way.
Make no mistake, though, cornerback looks like a huge need for the Dolphins. The only ones under contract for next season are JuJu Brents (injured), Storm Duck (injured), Jason Maitre (injured), and Jason Marshall Jr.
Miami has pivoted to asking its cornerbacks to jam players near the line of scrimmage and be more physical. Daylen Everette is a long, lean, physical cornerback who should fit well enough into that mold.
Everette is a three-year starter from the SEC, so he’s seen plenty of good competition over the years.
This year’s quarterback class is challenging to parse because NIL has allowed so many players to return to school. Again, this pick is less about the specific player — although we do like Brendan Sorsby — and more about the type of QB Miami should swing on.
If the Dolphins stick with Tua Tagovailoa in 2026 and don’t take a QB in Round 1, Sorsby’s traits are incredibly appealing. He’s got the arm talent and mobility to raise the level of his offense, something Tua doesn’t have.
He’s also an impressive competitor and the primary reason Cincinnati got back to playing good football this season.
Obviously, he needs some development in other areas. His mechanics are inconsistent, and he’s still figuring out defenses and what he can and can’t get away with. But him learning behind Tua for a year seems like an ideal outcome.
Regardless of which QB you like or where you think that player should be drafted, the time for Miami to spend real resources at this position is now.
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