Dolphins predicted to draft a Minkah Fitzpatrick clone in 2026 NFL Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Miami Dolphins have a lot of work to do this offseason. With the future of Tyreek Hill, Tua Tagovailoa, and others up in the air, the Dolphins will see a lot of change this offseason.

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With the Green Bay Packers duo of head coach Jeff Halfey and Jon-Eric Sullivan in charge, it will be fascinating to see how they manage the offseason, especially the NFL Draft.

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, in his first mock draft of the offseason, had the Dolphins taking defense in the first round. The player he predicted to join the Dolphins is the clone of Minkah Fitzpatrick, and would be a fun fit for Halfey’s new defense.

Dolphins predicted to take clone of Minkah Fitzpatrick in 1st round of NFL Draft

Jeremiah predicted that the Dolphins, at 11th overall, would go defense, with an Ohio State safety in Caleb Downs. He’s one of the best defensive players in the class and would be a great addition for the Dolphins in the upcoming draft.

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“Downs has the versatility to play multiple spots, much like his teammate – in this scenario – Minkah Fitzpatrick,” Jeremiah writes. “Downs’ football intelligence and leadership are off the charts. Miami has to improve a defense that ranked 24th in scoring and 32nd in opponent completion percentage.”

Adding to this defense is a no-brainer for the Dolphins, especially with a new defensive-minded head coach in town. Changes are coming, and Downs would be an incredible get.

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The Ohio State safety is 21 years old and one of the best defensive players in the draft. If it weren’t for Downs being a safety and the NFL not valuing safety highly, then he might go a lot higher than 11th overall.

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If the Dolphins could find a way to add Downs to the defense, especially if it were alongside Fitzpatrick, Hafley could have two chess pieces in the defensive backfield who could turn into game-wreckers for years to come.

Not only is Downs good in coverage, but he can also play the run and is one of the brightest minds in the class. He’s had two interceptions every year in college, and this past season, he finished with one sack and 68 tackles.

This prediction from Jeremiah in his first mock draft would be an incredible outcome for the Dolphins. Adding Downs to this defense would be a great way to begin reshaping the struggling unit, especially with all of the secondary problems this past season.

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