{"id":849506,"date":"2026-04-02T15:42:21","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849506\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T15:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T15:42:21","slug":"projected-top-5-pick-falls-into-miami-dolphins-lap-in-espns-new-nfl-mock-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/849506\/","title":{"rendered":"Projected Top 5 Pick Falls Into Miami Dolphins Lap in ESPN’s New NFL Mock Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

A player that looked likely to be taken early in the top 10 of the NFL Draft<\/a> will fall into the Miami Dolphins<\/a>\u2018 lap at No. 11, according to ESPN\u2019s updated NFL mock draft.<\/p>\n

Following a disappointing 7-10 season, change was expected. However, Miami fans have gotten even more than they expected. They fired head coach Mike McDaniel<\/a> and replaced him with Green Bay Packers<\/a> defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. Then they went to work on reimagining the roster.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins took on a lot of dead cap to cut ties with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa<\/a>, linebacker Bradley Chubb<\/a>, and receiver Tyreek Hill<\/a>. Then they traded veterans Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a> and Jaylen Waddle<\/a>. The bold overhaul has created clear holes on the roster, especially in the wide receiver room. <\/p>\n

It is why the Dolphins have been linked to several pass catchers with their pick at No. 11 in the draft, including USC\u2019s<\/a> Makai Lemon and Jordyn Tyson of Arizona State<\/a>. However, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper believes a stud WR prospect many thought could go in the top five will fall to Miami.<\/p>\n

Carnell Tate to fall to Dolphins at No. 11 in NFL Draft?<\/p>\n

\"dolphins\"Adam Cairns\/Columbus Dispatch \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/p>\n

\u201cJaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill are gone. But Carnell Tate\u2019s route-running ability, sure hands, and range as a pass catcher would give quarterback Malik Willis<\/a> a go-to WR1 and would provide a boost to the Dolphins\u2019 lacking receiver room,\u201d Kiper wrote in ESPN\u2019s new NFL mock draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ohio State<\/a> star has long been considered the top receiver in this year\u2019s class, with projections having him going to the New York Giants<\/a> at No. 5 or the Cleveland Browns<\/a> at No. 6. However, in ESPN\u2019s mock, he is the second WR off the board after the Browns take Lemon with their first pick.<\/p>\n

Some draft pundits, obviously, believe the Trojans\u2019 star is the best receiver in the 2026 class. But many are very high on Tate\u2019s all-around skills and ability to make an impact immediately in the NFL. If he falls to the Dolphins at 11, Miami decision-makers will not be disappointed.<\/p>\n

Tate had a breakout season in 2025, posting 875 receiving yards and nine touchdowns on 51 catches.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"avatar\"<\/p>\n

\t\tAfter earning his journalism degree in 2017, Jason Burgos served as a contributor to several sites, including MMA Sucka … More about Jason Burgos<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A player that looked likely to be taken early in the top 10 of the NFL Draft will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":849507,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2049],"tags":[217,7,216,251,2087,6,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-849506","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-dolphins","8":"tag-dolphins","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-miami","11":"tag-miami-dolphins","12":"tag-miamidolphins","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116335881896852395","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849506","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=849506"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/849506\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/849507"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=849506"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=849506"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=849506"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}