{"id":721521,"date":"2026-02-01T13:55:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T13:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/721521\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T13:55:02","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T13:55:02","slug":"dolphins-7-round-2026-nfl-draft-according-to-pff-mock-draft-simulator","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/721521\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins\u2019 7-round 2026 NFL Draft according to PFF mock draft simulator"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Dolphins<\/a> are entering a new era during the 2026 season. Miami hired Jeff Hafley as their next head coach<\/a> after he excelled while leading Green Bay’s defense over the past two seasons. Now Hafley and new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan must begin the hard work of rebuilding the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

They could be in for a long-term project. Miami is set to enter the offseason already $30 million over the salary cap<\/a>. The Dolphins have some tough decisions to make, including what to do with QB Tua Tagovailoa and WR Tyreek Hill.<\/p>\n

The 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> will be Hafley’s first chance real chance to put his stamp on his new team.<\/p>\n

But which positions will the Dolphins target in the draft?<\/p>\n

Below we will explore a seven-round Dolphins mock draft from the PFF mock draft simulator.<\/p>\n

Round 1, Pick 11: WR Makai Lemon, USC\"SouthernGary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins have plenty of needs across the roster, so there are multiple \u201cright answers\u201d at 11th overall. Lemon is certainly one of them.<\/p>\n

Lemon declared for the 2026 NFL Draft<\/a> back in December and is widely viewed as one of the top receivers in this draft class.<\/p>\n

It is easy to make the Amon-Ra St. Brown comp for Lemon. Both are slot receivers who attended USC and share similar strengths an weaknesses.<\/p>\n

Lemon has all the skills a slot receiver needs to thrive in the modern NFL. But he lacks the long speed needed to threaten defenses deep down the field.<\/p>\n

Miami will almost certainly move on from Tyreek Hill this offseason, which makes wide receiver a big priority.<\/p>\n

Lemon and Jaylen Waddle would give the Dolphins two excellent receivers to rebuild their offense around.<\/p>\n

Round 2, Pick 43: G Emmanuel Pregnon, Oregon<\/p>\n

Miami desperately needs to upgrade on the interior of their offensive line. The Dolphins should be thrilled to add a guy like Pregnon in the second round.<\/p>\n

Pregnon is a powerful guard prospect who is battle-tested after playing well in the Big Ten. He is technically sound and boasts both incredible power and enough quickness to succeed on outside zone runs.<\/p>\n

Pregnon has more positives than negatives on his scouting report and could easily become an immediate starter in Miami.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins start off the draft with two excellent picks.<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 75: CB Chandler Rivers, Duke<\/p>\n

It will be fascinating to see what changes Hafley makes to Miami’s defense before 2026. Regardless of what happens with Miami’s secondary, I think Hafley could use a young cornerback like Rivers.<\/p>\n

The elephant in the room is Rivers’ size. He is 5-foot-9 and 185 pounds, which puts him on the smaller side in the NFL. That could be a problem at the next level, as it could leave him vulnerable to being bullied by larger receivers.<\/p>\n

Rivers has quick mental processing skills and does thrive when playing press coverage. That, paired with his size, could force him into a nickel role as a pro.<\/p>\n

I could easily see Rivers taking over as Miami’s nickel cornerback of the future.<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 87: QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU\"LSUGary Cosby Jr.-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

This has to be the most controversial pick of the entire draft for the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

Nussmeier, the son of Saints OC Doug Nussmeier, is the classic \u201ccoach’s son\u201d at quarterback. He is a strong processor who has solid accuracy and is sneaky athletic.<\/p>\n

But Nussmeier can crumble in the face of interior pressure and is known to make some wildly aggressive decisions at times. There’s a reason why Nussmeier is no longer considered a first-round quarterback<\/a> in this weak draft class.<\/p>\n

All of that said, the Dolphins probably want another quarterback who can push Tua for the starting job.<\/p>\n

I think this is a defendable pick if Miami likes Nussmeier more than Quinn Ewers.<\/p>\n

Round 3, Pick 90: G Chase Bisontis, Texas A&M<\/p>\n

The Dolphins double up on guards after selecting Bisontis in the third round.<\/p>\n

Bisontis is a quicker guard than Pregnon, dominating on screens and pulls where he can start moving. But he isn’t just a one-trick pony.<\/p>\n

Bisontis can hold up well in pass protection, though he is known to struggle against power rushers who take him head on.<\/p>\n

At worst, I think the Dolphins get a high-level backup in Bisontis. But there is a world where he pushes Jonah Savaiinaea for a starting job.<\/p>\n

Round 4, Pick 111: T J.C. Davis, Illinois<\/p>\n

Miami continues adding in the trenches, this time picking up the left tackle out of Illinois.<\/p>\n

Davis makes his mark as a pass protector. He has excellent technique and footwork that has helped him hold up against Big Ten edge rushers.<\/p>\n

His size is a mild concern at 6-foot-5 and 307 pounds. But Davis certainly has a big enough frame that he could pack on some more weight as a pro.<\/p>\n

I see Davis as more of a developmental left tackle, which may explain why he was still on the board in the fourth round.<\/p>\n

Davis likely wouldn’t push Patrick Paul for the starting job right away. But he could join the Dolphins as a high-level backup who could eventually win the job.<\/p>\n

Round 5, Pick 149: CB Davison Igbinosun, Ohio State<\/p>\n

There is a lot to like about Igbinosun as a prospect.<\/p>\n

He has ideal size at 6-foot-2 and 192 pounds. Igbinosun also has excellent long speed, which helps him keep up with just about anyone.<\/p>\n

The combination of Igbinosun’s range and speed give him an advantage over most receivers who cannot dominate him with power or blow by him with elite speed.<\/p>\n

Igbinosun can draw a lot of penalties when he is beat early, which NFL fanbases will hate.<\/p>\n

He is also much more comfortable in zone coverage than in man. Thankfully, Hafley’s defensive scheme thrives on a lot of zone coverage<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If Igbinosun hits, he could be an absolute steal in the fifth round.<\/p>\n

Round 7, Pick 227: TE Riley Nowakowski, Indiana<\/p>\n

The Dolphins do not have a lot of talent at tight end. Adding a seventh-rounder won’t completely fix the problem, but it is a start.<\/p>\n

Nowakowski is more of a blocking tight end than anything else. Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti and tight ends coach Grant Cain have praised his physical play<\/a> during the Hoosiers’ championship season.<\/p>\n

I’m sure the Dolphins could find a role for him. But their search for an upgrade at tight end will almost certainly continue next offseason.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Dolphins are entering a new era during the 2026 season. Miami hired Jeff Hafley as their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":721522,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2049],"tags":[217,18731,7,216,251,2087,6,15,18732],"class_list":{"0":"post-721521","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-dolphins","9":"tag-editorials","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-miami","12":"tag-miami-dolphins","13":"tag-miamidolphins","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nfl-draft","16":"tag-nfl-editorials"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721521","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=721521"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/721521\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/721522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=721521"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=721521"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=721521"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}