It has not been a happy NFL Draft marriage when the Miami Dolphins betroth a cross-town player from the Hurricanes. The relationships rarely have lasted and mostly have failed outright.
That could end — should end — in next month’s draft in Pittsburgh, where the foundational franchise rebuild under new head coach Jeff Hafley and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan will take what they hope is a major step, and had better be.
The Dolphins in their 60 seasons have drafted only 20 Canes, total, from linebacker Ed Weisacosky in birth year 1966 to defensive end Jaelan Phillips in 2021. Only one of those 20 UM draftees, tackle Vernon Carey in 2004, has lasted even five seasons with the Fins. The 20 hometown picks have combined to make this many Pro Bowls:
Zero. None. Nada.
Phillips was OK when healthy before they traded him. The 2012 draft brought a decent linebacker in Olivier Vernon and squeezed one 1,00-yard season from running back Lamar Miller. From the ‘04 draft Carey had a pretty good career. Everybody else was various shades of bust.
That historically sad streak is poised to change, to turn the swing-and-a-miss to wedded bliss.
The Hurricanes, national runners-up coming off their best season since 2002, are predicted to have three of their players taken in the first round for the first time since 2007 in defensive end Rueben Bain Jr., offensive tackle/guard Francis Mauigoa and defensive end Akheem Mesidor. And it could be a UM first-round foursome for the first time since 2004 if cornerback Keionte Scott (mostly seen as a second-rounder) surprises and sneaks up a bit.
Bain (with some luck) and Mauigoa (more likely) are possibilities for the Dolphins, who select 11th overall.
I have seen Bain going as high as fourth overall in some respected mock drafts, but the latest from ESPN mock god Mel Kiper Jr. has Bain going 10th to the Bengals. That means there is a reasonable chance Bain could fall to Miami — or that it might not cost a ton to trade up a spot or two if that meant getting him and the Fins wants him that badly.
Miami Hurricanes defensive lineman Rueben Bain Jr. (4) sacks Texas A&M Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed (10) in the second half of the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff at Kyle Field at College Station, Texas, on Saturday, December 20, 2025.
I know, I know: Some of the talk at the recent NFL Scouting Combine was Bain is being dinged for “short arms” that are a couple of inches shy of ideal on the total wingspan. Asinine, that. If you watched Bain play this past season and what you saw was arm length overriding a high motor and overall talent that will make the Pro Bowl, that’s on you.
Bain will be great … for somebody. And Miami could use him to pair opposite Chop Robinson and give the Fins two defensive pillars to build around.
But it’s more likely Mauigoa will fall to Miami, and he would hardly be a consolation prize. He’s a 6-6, 315-pound behemoth with 42 games’ college experience and the versatility to play outside or shift inward to play guard. The Dolphins need help at both spots, especially with Austin Jackson not reliable to stay healthy and on the field.
Mauigoa and Bain both play extremely important positions — arguably the biggest in the NFL after quarterback and perhaps cornerback.
Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (61) scores in the second half of an NCAA football game against the Syracuse Orange at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida on Saturday, November 8, 2025.
Both play positions of need for a needy Miami.
And both are prototypes of what Hafley and Sullivan mean when they talk about wanting physicality, an alpha-style of aggressions other teams don’t want to face. The new regime would verify that isn’t just coachspeak by lucking to draft Bain or selecting Mauigoa instead.
This draft will be hugely important to kick-start Miami’s reboot/rebuild, at least in part because free agency, starting next week, , does not figure to see the Fins as major players. No money for that, alas.
Hafley/Sullivan inherit an onerous salary-cap issue, largely the result of how much it will cost to move on from longtime starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Social-media sleuths noted that the Dolphins did not give Tagovailoa an online happy birthday wish on Monday. A far better sign that the end seems near was when Tagovailoa was benched to end last season. Or hearing the new regime give little indicaton he’s in future plans.
Arizona will soon waive quarterback Kyler Murray and figure Miami will do the same if it cannot work out a trade with somebody like the Vikings, Steelers, Falcons or Jets. But why would a team give up stuff to trade for Tagovailoa (or Murray) and inherit their contract rather than wait for them to become free agents?
I have written that available quarterback Malik Willis would be a perfect fit in Miami. And the connection to Hafley/Sullivan is obvious since all three were together in Green Bay last season. Problem is, Willis is in demand and could command more than Miami can afford. Sullivan does not appear obsessed with finding the Dolphins’ next franchise quarterback this year and has admitted the team won’t be exactly be making it rain in free agency.
More likely, it seems now, Miami will start with returning quarterback Quinn Ewers in ‘26 and then, if needed, target a QB in the first round in ‘27, when at least five passers are projected for the first round including three in the top 10. If as bad as projected this coming season, Miami will have a choice of a good one. (One ‘27 mock draft already has Miami selecting Oklahoma QB John Mateer sixth overall.)
But that’s jumping ahead. First there is the free agency period that figures to be low on drama beyond the likely departure of Tagovailoa. And then comes a most consequential NFL Draft for Miami in a few weeks.
It could and should be one that keeps a Hurricane at home playing in the same stadium, and ends the Dolphins’ long history of failed marriages with UM players they draft.
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