The Miami Dolphins are entering the 2026 NFL Draft with a ton of holes all across their roster. While they aren't looking to contend right away, the team still needs to begin plugging these holes.
Two of the biggest holes are at wide receiver and in the secondary. Fortunately, with a ton of picks in the first three rounds, including two in Round 1, the Dolphins can land some high-impact players right away.
ESPN's Peter Schrager projects that the Dolphins will draft Ohio State and Oregon stars with their first two picks at No. 11 and 30, with both being steals at their respective draft slots.
Dolphins projected to land steals at WR and S in ESPN mock draft
With the 11th pick, Schrarger has the Dolphins taking Ohio State WR Carnell Tate. This would be a great pick, with Tate being projected to go much higher than 11th in many mock drafts this offseason.
"New coach Jeff Hafley (who coached with Ryan Day in San Francisco and at Ohio State) and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan have countless contacts at Ohio State, and the whole program raves about Tate," Schrager writes. "He could bring some juice to Miami."
Tate had 875 yards receiving and nine touchdowns on 51 receptions last year with a very impressive 17.2 yards-per-reception. He's a high-quality WR, and would be a steal if the Dolphins got him with the 11th pick.
More: Dolphins 'ideal' first round involves zero WRs, instead two defensive backs
Then, down the board all the way at 30th overall, Schrager has the Dolphins taking Oregon safety Dillon Thieneman for another draft steal.
"His film reveals a versatile player who can cover, tackle, and lead a defense," Schrager writes. "It's a new era in Miami, and Jeff Hafley has expertise in coaching up defensive backs."
Thieneman would be a great pick, with plenty of draft experts placing the Oregon safety much higher in Round 1, potentially as high as the Dolphins' first pick at 11th overall.
These two picks would replace Jaylen Waddle and Minkah Fitzpatrick, the star WR and S they traded away this offseason, with their first-round selections.
If Schrager's mock draft came true, and the Dolphins exited the first round with both Tate and Thieneman, it would be an A+ draft for Miami through only one round.
More Dolphins news: