Perfect Picks 2026: Miami Dolphins
By Lee Wakefield
The winds of change are blowing through Miami this offseason. A new General Manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, and a new head coach, Jeff Hafley, both come in via Green Bay. With them will come profound changes throughout the entire coaching staff. A new quarterback, too? Perhaps.
Sullivan did mention that the Dolphins will “…invest in that position every year if we can”, so expect one when I get into the draft below. The road feels like it’s run out for Tua Tagovailoa, and overall, it feels to me that the 2026 season is about clearing the decks and the financial books and allowing Hafley and Sullivan to install their culture and ideas within all aspects of the franchise. The new era will start from 2027, and they can hopefully build things out from there.
The Dolphins need to move some money around in order to become cap-compliant for the 2026 season. The cap is rumoured to be moving to somewhere between around $301 and $306 million according to Tom Pelissero. With the Dolphins’ current cap commitments and their dead cap figure of around $35 million, they are currently $20-23 million over the cap.
That said, there are some levers that the team can pull to get back into the black and give them some flexibility to start their rebuild.
Firstly, cutting Tyreek Hill saves $35.2m. Next, cutting kicker Jason Sanders saves $3.9m, Bradley Chubb as much as $20.2m, and Austin Jackson another $11m, if all are designated as post-June 1st cuts.
Then there’s the big issue: Tua Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins want to take their medicine and cut Tua, as a post-June 1st cut, this saves $67m, but this does create $32m of dead money on 2027’s books. This is a bitter pill to swallow, but a necessary one to allow the franchise to move forward. It would be a decision that’s made easier because whoever is starting at quarterback will likely be cheap for at least the next two seasons.
Those are the big cuts; money can also be created by giving extensions to players who have performed, who Hafley and Sullivan might see as cornerstones of the new regime.
So, quite the rebuild! Time to get drafting.
Round 1 - Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
The Dolphins kick off their draft here by taking Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa and keeping him in Miami. Mauigoa is one of the top offensive tackle prospects available this spring and is perfect for the Dolphins for a number of reasons.
Mauigao attended High School in Florida, over on the Gulf Coast at IMG Academy, which comes with a certain level of prestige all by itself. He had an excellent collegiate career with the Hurricanes, ending with a valiant defeat to Indiana in the College Football Championship on January 20th. The ‘Canes were building all throughout Mauigoa’s time with the programme with Mario Cristobal at the helm, and that mentality is what the Dolphins would surely love Mauigoa to bring to their team as the Hafley era begins.
On the field, Mauigoa is an adept run blocker but is an excellent pass blocker, shown by the fact that he allowed three sacks across his final two seasons for the Hurricanes.
Should the Dolphins choose to cut bait with Austin Jackson, Mauigoa can slide right into the starter on that side of the line opposite Patrick Paul, who will continue on the left side.
At 6’6 and 335lbs, Mauigoa brings NFL size to the position, with elite anchor, nimble feet and a finisher’s mentality, which all lead to his ability to excel in both the run and pass games. New Offensive Coordinator, Bobby Slowik, will need tackles with this profile to bring his offence to life.
Some draft analysts feel that Mauigoa will be a better guard than a tackle at the NFL level, but I feel you can give him some run at right tackle in 2026, which will return to being the traditional frontside for the QB, assuming that Miami has a right-handed QB again from 2026.
Whilst teams indeed need two tackles in the modern NFL, and defenses are doing everything to force favourable matchups, it still gives Mauigoa at least some leeway if he’s starting his career on frontside.
If he struggles in year one, as long as it’s not a disaster, this regime will be given time to develop players. And if he’s a guard, so what? This team just needs good players, and I believe that Mauigoa has a solid NFL floor regardless of long-term position.
Round 2 - Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL, Oregon
When a team begins a new era, I never think it’s a bad idea to reinforce the offensive line. The offensive line establishes the floor for the offensive ecosystem, and as the Dolphins seek their new long-term answer at quarterback, having that area of the team sorted out when they eventually drop that new guy in is a very sensible idea. Bobby Slowik is a Shanahan guy at his core, so running the football is still going to be very high on the priorities list for Miami.
Emmanuel Pregnon is a left guard prospect who, much like Francis Mauigoa, would establish a solid floor of the unit, whilst giving it a lot of potential to develop into the heartbeat of the offense in years to come. Something that Slowik will want to prioritise.
Pregnon has some experience at right guard, so if the Dolphins want to keep 2025 pick, Jonah Savaiinaea at left guard, Pregnon could play on the right, next to Mauigoa.
Aaron Brewer can continue at center and suddenly, with some improvement from the left side, with the continuity that keeping those guys together provides, the Dolphins have a young and athletic offensive line that fits Slowik’s scheme and that can all grow together. Hopefully, providing the stability for the new QB that they surely crave.
With all of this, James Daniels becomes a depth piece, which is important as Daniel Brunskil and Cole Strange are scheduled to become free agents this spring.
One of Pregnon’s strengths lies in his lateral mobility and ability to find blocks on the move in the run game – Something that will be music to Slowik’s ears, as running the ball will be a priority to take pressure off the QB as this era develops. This is an athletic guard prospect!
Pregnon could improve his hand placement, but overall, is a pretty solid pass protector, whose sack allowed numbers are actually even more impressive than Mauigoa’s, with Pregnon having allowed one sack across his past three seasons.
Mid Round Gem - Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
I wrote the Perfect Picks article for the Chiefs recently, and in that piece, I wrote that Kansas City needed to move away from the small-ball era of wide receivers and find a bigger, more traditional outside X-receiver.
I feel that the Dolphins need to make a similar move as they move on from Tyreek Hill.
The Dolphins have Jaylen Waddle, who is the kind of speed threat that every team needs, and he has the skills to continue as their primary wide receiver.
Malik Washington showed that he has a future in the NFL as a slot receiver and returner throughout his first couple of years in the NFL.
However, with Waddle at 5’10″ and Washington at 5’8″, it’s clear there’s a need for a bigger body amongst this group.
Malachi Fields is 6’4 and weighs in at around 220lbs, so he instantly offers a different proposition than the other Miami receivers.
Fields is a 50-50 ball specialist who has decent route-running ability. He’s not the sort of player who has the ceiling to be a WR1 in the league, but he’s being drafted in the third round to play a specific role, which is absolutely fine. Fields has reliable hands, having one dropped pass in 2025. When the ball goes his way, his team will want it to stick.
Fields has cracked 800 receiving yards twice in his college career and has found the end zone five times across each of the last three seasons. So whilst he won’t be the headline of the offense, he’s coming into the league with a decent level of production, and against a good level of competition.
Fields can come into the NFL and have a pretty limited route tree, which again, for Miami, with their other offensive weapons, is okay, making him a solid mid-round selection.
Miami has three third-round picks, of which Fields is the final one.
The other two third-round picks in this draft are linebacker Jacob Rodriguez and QB Garrett Nussmeier, whom I want to give a brief couple of lines on, as I see this as a key round for the Dolphons.
Rodriguez is an instinctive linebacker who would work well next to Jordyn Brooks as the Dolphins look to freshen up their linebacker room, which is losing a couple of free agents. Nussmeier brings me back to that quote from Jon-Eric Sullivan about drafting a QB each year. Nussmeier probably projects as a long-term backup in the NFL, but he’s a cerebral player who has flashed at points in his college career. The sort of dart throw that Miami will seemingly take on an annual basis.
Late Round Sleeper - Tacario Davis, CB, Washington
Whilst getting bigger at the wide receiver position is a must for the Dolphins this spring, I feel that it could also be useful to do so at the cornerback position, too. This is where 6’4 Tacario Davis comes in.
Davis began his college career at Arizona and was very highly thought of in the early part of his career, so to be drafted in the fifth round represents somewhat of a fall off.
That said, you can’t teach height and length, which Davis has in abundance. Another sought-after trait that Davis possesses is a willingness to tackle in the run game, where his physical stature comes into play.
I feel that this makes Davis a fantastic late-round selection for a couple of reasons.
Firstly, tackling on the perimeter is a great way to set the tone and establish the culture of a new regime. Davis might never develop into a CB1, asking or expecting a fifth-round pick to do so would be unwise, but if he can be a match-up advantage against bigger receivers and a reliable coverage player in the long-term would be a win for the team.
Secondly, Hafley is a defensive backs guy, so I’d back him to get the most out of a mouldable ball of clay with physical traits and the mentality that Davis has. Had the head coach been a specialist in a separate area of the team or indeed the defence, then I’d have opted to select a corner earlier than this. However, Hafley’s affection for the secondary and the ceiling that Davis showed in the early part of his college career makes me think that this has a chance. Once again, if it doesn’t work out, what’s the downside? You burned a fifth-round pick. We can live with that.
So what of Davis the player?
Outside of the physical gifts, Davis showed the ability to cover the pass, allowing a passer rating of 50.6 when targeted in 2025. His strength in coverage comes in zone defense, rather than man. This is a fit with Hafley’s predominantly Cover-3 scheme, where he’ll be allowed to protect his deep third and keep his eyes on the ball. His height and length also fits the prototypical measurements that suit a Cover-3 corner.
Another nice bonus is that Davis is going to be one of the youngest members of this draft class, he doesn’t turn 22 until August, so plenty of time for Hafley to shape him into a workable NFL piece.
Draft in full
11 (R1) – Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami
43 (R2) – Emmanuel Pregnon, IOL, Oregon
75 (R3) – Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
87 (R3) – Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech
90 (R3) – Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame
111 (R4) – Genesis Smith, S, Arizona
149 (R5) – Tacario Davis, CB, Washington
227 (R7) -Eli Heidenreich, FB/RB, Navy
