Miami Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft Needs, Picks & Depth Chart

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No matter how well they did in free agency, all 32 NFL teams head into the 2026 NFL Draft with holes to fill on the roster.

Leading into the draft, we will identify the top needs for every team and break down the depth chart position by position.

What are the Dolphins' top positions of need heading into the 2026 NFL draft?

Miami Dolphins Needs: Top Positions of Need in 2026

1. Wide Receiver
2. Defensive Back
3. Edge Rusher

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Miami Dolphins 2026 Draft Capital

The Dolphins have the 2nd-most draft capital according to our Sharp Football Draft Value.

Our Sharp Football Draft Value is a valuation of draft capital based on a combination of average performance delivered and average dollars earned on second contracts.

Miami Dolphins Mock Draft Predictions

Find out who our top-rated experts expect the Dolphins to draft:

• Brendan Donahue's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #2 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.
• Ryan McCrystal's 2026 NFL Mock Draft – Complete first round breakdown from the #20 most accurate mock drafter over the last five seasons.

Miami Dolphins Offense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Rich Hribar breaks down the offensive depth chart by position for the Miami Dolphins, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Quarterback

1. Malik Willis
2. Quinn Ewers
3. Cam Miller

Malik Willis joins a new staff in Miami that is made up of many familiar faces from his stint in Green Bay.

Jeff Hafley was hired as the new head coach, while Jon-Eric Sullivan was hired as the general manager.

Willis was able to resurrect his career backing up Jordan Love in Green Bay.

Over the past two seasons with the Packers, Willis completed 70 of 89 passes (78.7%) for 972 yards (10.9 yards per pass attempt) with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions.

Despite the hyper-efficient play, we still do not have a large sample size for him in the NFL.

Willis has played 548 career snaps with only six starts through four years in the league.

We have another two games of Willis playing at least 60% of the snaps.

Willis had a 14.5% scramble rate with Green Bay, which was the highest in the league.

Jayden Daniels was second at 13.4%.

Willis has posted 8.9 yards per scramble, which was fifth in the league.

We know Willis can run.

The question will be how much of his passing success over his small sample size in Green Bay will carry over in a larger sample in a worse offensive climate with Miami.

15.7% of his passes were screens.

The only passer to throw 50-plus times over the past two seasons with a higher rate of screens was Chris Oladokun (20%).

With Willis on the field, his offenses have dropped back to pass only 40% of the time.

With Green Bay, that rate was 38.7%.

His last start with the Packers in Week 17 last year against Baltimore was the most encouraging sign of being bullish on Willis.

In that game, Green Bay was missing starters up front on the offensive line, Josh Jacobs left with an injury, and the offense was forced to rely on him more as a passer.

Green Bay had a 75% dropback rate on the 36 offensive snaps with Willis on the field that night.

We are once again working on a light sample, but Willis has also held up when pressured.

Under pressure with Green Bay, Willis was 17 of 20 (85%) for 353 yards (17.6 Y/A) with 2 touchdowns.

Those are unsustainable rates (league averages are a 49.3% completion rate and 6.3 Y/A when pressured over the past two seasons), but the last few paragraphs here keep the lights on for Willis as a thrower of the football when pushed and pressured.

The next step is getting him more offensive weapons.

Quinn Ewers got his feet wet as a rookie, starting the final three games last season.

In those weeks, Ewers completed 66.3% of his passes for 7.5 yards per pass attempt with 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Running Back

1. De’Von Achane
2. Jaylen Wright
3. Ollie Gordon
4. Donovan Edwards

De’Von Achane was an anchor for this offense in 2025, turning in his best season to date over a strong start to his career.

Achane handled a career-high 305 touches for 1,838 yards from scrimmage while reaching the end zone 12 times.

He has scored double-digit touchdowns in all three of his years in the league.

Since entering the league, no running back has averaged more yards per carry than Achane (5.6 YPC) with as many attempts as he has.

He also has the fifth-most receptions of any running back (172) over the past three seasons.

The loss of Mike McDaniel and the transition away from Tua Tagovailoa could reduce some of the gaudy efficiency and receiving numbers from Achane, but new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik comes from a similar coaching tree.

Achane is clearly the best player Miami has on offense at the moment, and the team has been adamant about retaining him as the feature piece in their rebuilding process.

Achane is in the final season of his rookie contract, is seeking a new deal before the season starts, and should rack up a ton of touches on a potentially bad offense.

We could see some posturing here throughout the offseason, and Achane reportedly already is skipping out on the first offseason program, although that is voluntary to begin with.

Behind Achane, Miami has young depth with Jaylen Wright and Ollie Gordon on their rookie deals.

Wright went from 3.6 yards per touch as a rookie up to 4.4 yards per touch in his second season.

Gordon only rushed for 2.8 yards per attempt as a rookie on his 70 runs, but his opportunities were restricted as a short-yardage clasher in clear running situations.

51.4% of Gordon’s runs came with 8 or more defenders in the box (8th-highest rate).

Wide Receiver

1. Jalen Tolbert
2. Tutu Atwell
3. Malik Washington
4. Theo Wease
5. Tahj Washington
6. AJ Henning
7. Terrace Marshall

Everyone here is arguably below the fold when it comes to starter quality, and Miami should be expected to add multiple pass catchers in this draft.

Miami has a huge void at wide receiver following the release of Tyreek Hill and the trade of Jaylen Waddle.

As of right now, the only wide receiver on the roster to have more than 50 targets last year was Malik Washington (65).

Washington caught 46 passes for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns in his second season.

He was limited to working around the line of scrimmage.

Accounting for only 6.9 yards per reception (a lower rate than Achane’s 7.3 yards per catch), Washington averaged 5.2 air yards per target.

Washington did have 110 receptions in his final season at Virginia, so the lights are on for a larger role if he gets a chance to run actual pass routes in the new offense.

Theo Wease only played 55 snaps as a rookie, catching 6 of 10 targets for 139 yards and a touchdown.

The team added Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell to low-leverage one-year deals (both at $1.2 million).

Tolbert did catch 7 touchdowns in 2024 with the Cowboys, but he was immediately buried on the depth chart last season with the addition of George Pickens in Dallas before being surpassed by Ryan Flournoy.

Tight End

1. Greg Dulcich
2. Ben Sims
3. Jalin Conyers
4. Cole Turner
5. Zack Kuntz

This is another spot where we can expect Miami to explore adding a rookie.

They brought back Greg Dulcich after he showed some spark in his limited sample last year.

Dulcich averaged 2.38 yards per route run last year on his 141 routes, which was second among all tight ends with 100 or more pass routes on the year.

He was targeted on 23.4% of his routes, which would have ranked fifth among the same group.

He was only on the field for 26.6% of the dropbacks and had 67 career receptions through four seasons.

Getting only a one-year contract worth $3.2 million, Dulcich is still on a “prove it” deal.

The rest of this tight end room has no proven NFL production.

Offensive Line

LT: Patrick Paul, Charlie Heck
LG: Jonah Savaiinaea, Josh Priebe, Braedan Daniels
C: Aaron Brewer, Andrew Meyer
RG: Jamaree Salyer, Kion Smith
RT: Austin Jackson, Carter Warren

This offensive line is still a major work in progress, like most of the remaining foundation on offense.

Miami ranked 24th in ESPN pass block win rate (59%) and 29th in run block win rate (70%) in 2025.

At Pro Football Focus, they ranked 29th in pass blocking and 27th in run blocking grade.

The only starter here who is a proven asset is center Aaron Brewer, who is in the final year of his current contract.

Austin Jackson is also in the final year of his current contract.

Jamaree Salyer was brought in on a one-year contract to compete at right guard and provide depth.

The only projected starters signed for multiple seasons are Patrick Paul and Jonah Savaiinaea, both on rookie contracts.

Getting his first shot to play full-time in 2025, Paul took 975 snaps at left tackle.

He made strides over his rookie season sample.

After allowing a 6.6% pressure rate in his first season, Paul lowered that to a 4.3% rate in 2025.

He did have 9 penalties, and run blocking remains a concern, coming in 66th among tackles in run-blocking grade at Pro Football Focus.

Savaiinaea was selected in the second round last year (37th overall) and immediately thrown into the lineup.

He started all 17 games at left guard, taking his lumps as a rookie.

Out of 85 qualifying guards last year, Savaiinaea was the lowest graded player at the position per PFF.

He allowed a position-high 45 pressures and 8 sacks, tied for the most at the position.

In the run game, he ranked 83rd in run-blocking grade among the same 85 players.

Miami Dolphins Defense: Depth Chart, Analysis & Draft Needs

Raymond Summerlin breaks down the defensive depth chart by position for the Miami Dolphins, identifying areas where the team could improve in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

Defensive Line

1. Zach Sieler
2. Kenneth Grant
3. Jordan Phillips
4. Zeek Biggers
5. Matthew Butler
6. Alex Huntley

The Dolphins ranked 28th in yards per carry allowed to running backs (4.8) last season and 29th in explosive run rate allowed to RBs (12.4%).

Despite those struggles, Miami does have talent on the defensive line, and they were not quite as bad over the second half of the season.

Zach Sieler is coming off something of a down season, but he still managed 5.5 sacks and 11 run stuffs, ranked 20th among qualified defensive linemen.

A first-round pick last year, Kenneth Grant actually had a better pressure rate than Sieler despite finishing with 2 sacks, though he struggled more against the run.

Jordan Phillips, Zeek Biggers, and Matthew Butler are all back after playing at least 200 snaps along the line last season.

Phillips and Biggers were also selected in the draft last year, giving Miami a lot of youth at the position.

Given their needs elsewhere, it probably makes sense for the Dolphins to see what the new coaching staff can get out of their young talent up front.

Edge Defenders

1. Chop Robinson
2. Josh Uche
3. Cameron Goode
4. David Ojabo
5. Robert Beal Jr.
6. Derrick McLendon
7. Keith Cooper Jr.
8. Seth Coleman

Miami ranked 26th in pressure rate last season (31.8%) while recording 39 sacks (15th).

Chop Robinson had a very positive rookie season, nabbing 6 sacks with an elite 17.2% pressure rate, but he took a big step back while failing to establish himself as a full-time player in 2025.

The Dolphins need Robinson to step up as a cornerstone of the pass rush if their defense has any hope in 2026.

Miami made several additions to the edge group in free agency, but it is unclear whether any will be impactful.

Josh Uche probably has the best chance.

He has an impressive 16.5% career pressure rate, but he has been a rotational player through six seasons in the league.

Cameron Goode, David Ojabo, and Robert Beal have a combined 5.5 sacks in their collective NFL careers.

All four of the depth options behind Robinson are on one-year deals near the minimum.

The Dolphins can take a chance on getting more than expected out of Uche in what will very likely be a rebuilding year, but they have both a short-term and a long-term need on the edge.

Linebacker

1. Jordyn Brooks
2. Tyrel Dodson
3. Willie Gay Jr.
4. Ronnie Harrison Jr.
5. K.C. Ossai
6. Jackson Woodard

Linebacker is one of the few positions on defense where the Dolphins are in pretty good shape.

Jordyn Brooks led all qualified linebackers in run stuffs last season, and he was fifth among that same group in tackle rate on run plays.

Tyrel Dodson was 15th in run stuffs himself, and both had double-digit tackles for loss.

The results were not as good in the passing game, but Brooks and Dodson are a good pairing at the top of the depth chart.

Willie Gay Jr. was re-signed, and converted safety Ronnie Harrison was added in free agency.

The biggest questions for this group come in the longer term.

Both Brooks and Dodson are scheduled to be free agents after this year, and it is fair to wonder if either will still be on the roster the next time Miami is ready to compete.

Linebacker is not a primary need, but the Dolphins could use some youth.

Cornerback

1. Darrell Baker Jr.
2. Storm Duck
3. Jason Marshall Jr.
4. JuJu Brents
5. Marco Wilson
6. Ethan Robinson
7. Ethan Bonner
8. Miles Battle
9. Alex Austin
10. Jason Maitre
11. A.J. Green III

The Dolphins allowed 7.6 yards per pass attempt last season, finishing 26th in touchdown rate allowed, 25th in explosive play rate allowed, and 25th in EPA per pass attempt allowed.

The cupboard is as bare as can be at cornerback.

Miami added Darrell Baker, Marco Wilson, and Alex Austin in free agency.

Baker did play meaningful snaps for the Titans over the last two seasons, but he has not been a quality option, allowing 10.2 yards per target and a 124.1 quarterback rating in coverage last year.

Wilson had some promising seasons to start his career with the Cardinals, but it has been downhill since then.

Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas, who played the most corner snaps for the team last season, remain free agents and could be options later in the offseason.

The Dolphins also have some youth in 2025 fifth-round pick Jason Marshall, Storm Duck, and former Colts second-round pick JuJu Brents.

Miami has accumulated a lot of bodies at corner and could get lucky with one or two emerging, but this is an obvious need heading into the draft.

Safety

1. Dante Trader Jr.
2. Lonnie Johnson Jr.
3. Zayne Anderson
4. Isaiah Johnson
5. Jordan Colbert
6. Omar Brown

With Minkah Fitzpatrick gone, the safety situation does not look much better than the one at cornerback.

A fifth-round pick last year, Dante Trader did get some meaningful experience as a rookie, but he looked vulnerable in coverage.

Added in free agency, Lonnie Johnson is a journeyman who has struggled to pin down a consistent role on defense in the NFL.

Zayne Anderson, who was also signed in free agency, has 145 career snaps on defense.

Even if Trader steps up as a starter in his sophomore season, the Dolphins still need another starter at safety.

2026 Depth Chart Analysis & Team Needs for All 32 NFL Teams