{"id":856494,"date":"2026-04-06T06:54:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T06:54:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856494\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T06:54:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T06:54:25","slug":"dolphins-2026-nfl-draft-guide-number-of-picks-biggest-needs-draft-history-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856494\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft guide: Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history, and more"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft guide: Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history, and more<\/a> appeared first on ClutchPoints<\/a>. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

No team had more roster turnover this offseason than the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. The team moved on from Tua Tagovailoa,<\/a> Bradley Chubb, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and many more. Their biggest free agent addition was Malik Willis<\/a>, so the hope is that the quarterback will go from backup to franchise player. Regardless, all of the offseason losses mean that there are a lot of holes that need to be plugged in Miami. The 2026 NFL Draft will truly kick off the team\u2019s rebuild. So, when do the Dolphins pick, who should they target, and what are their biggest needs?<\/p>\n

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Dolphins\u2019 2026 NFL Draft picks<\/p>\n

The Dolphins have moved on from players in a number of different ways this offseason. They have made releases, trades, and just opted against re-signing players. One perk of using the trade market is that the team now has some of the most draft picks of any team this year. The Waddle trade, in particular<\/a>, brought in a lot of capital from the Denver Broncos. Here are all<\/a> of Miami\u2019s 2026 draft picks.<\/p>\n

Round one, pick 30 (via Denver Broncos)<\/p>\n

Round three, pick 87 (via Philadelphia Eagles)<\/p>\n

Round three, pick 90 (via Houston Texans)<\/p>\n

Round three, pick 94 (via Denver Broncos)<\/p>\n

Round four, pick 130 (via Denver Broncos)<\/p>\n

Round seven, pick 238 (via Los Angeles Chargers, Tennessee Titans, New York Jets)<\/p>\n

Dolphins\u2019 2026 NFL Draft needs and targets\"Kirby<\/p>\n

Kirby Lee-Imagn Image<\/p>\n

With all of the roster movement, the Dolphins just may have more positional needs than any other team in the league. They are in full rebuild mode, and they need talent across the board. The good news is that it will allow Miami to draft the best players available and not focus on specific needs, especially because they have their solution to the quarterback position in the form of Willis. Even so, there are positions that clearly need to be addressed. Below are some of Miami\u2019s biggest needs, along with prospects at those positions who fit the system.<\/p>\n

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Receiver:\u00a0Not long ago, the Dolphins were viewed as having arguably the best receiver duo in the league and one of the best receiving corps<\/a> as a whole. However, Tyreek Hill had regressed in recent years before suffering a gruesome injury that played a part in his recent release<\/a>. His long-time running mate, Jaylen Waddle, was also just traded. Now the Dolphins are incredibly thin at receiver, even after adding Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell in free agency.<\/p>\n

Both of those players are mere depth pieces, and the Dolphins need to find a star pass catcher. That is especially true because they need their investment in Willis to work out, and surrounding their new quarterback with weapons will help Willis succeed. The Dolphins\u2019 first selection is pick number 11, and it is hard to know for certain if any of the top receivers will be off the board by then. Any of Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, or Jordyn Tyson would be a good fit who could help unlock Willis\u2019 fullest potential. Tate\u2019s speed could replicate Hill\u2019s deep threat ability to a certain extent, and Lemon\u2019s route running is comparable to Waddle\u2019s. This draft is stacked at the receiver position, too, so Germie Bernard, Chris Brazzell, and Chris Bell would be options in the second round.<\/p>\n

Cornerback:\u00a0Cornerback has been a position of need for some time now in Miami, which is why it was a shock that the team traded Jalen Ramsey for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a> before last season. That move was clearly a mistake, considering Fitzpatrick isn\u2019t even with the team anymore.<\/p>\n

Jeff Hafley is the Dolphins\u2019 new head coach, and he will utilize a press-heavy man coverage scheme. So, bigger cornerbacks, such as Davison Igbinosun and Devin Moore, would make sense as targets outside of round one. Earlier on, they could target Mansoor Delane or Brandon Cisse.<\/p>\n

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Edge rusher:\u00a0The Dolphins have their quarterback of the future. Many consider the edge rusher spot to be the second most important position in football, behind quarterback. Miami brought in some pieces to rush opposing quarterbacks, but the additions of Josh Uche<\/a> and David Ojabo won\u2019t be enough, especially because Chop Robinson has underwhelmed in the two seasons since becoming a first-round pick.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins need a star at the edge rusher position. This is something they\u2019ve sought out, dating back to their trade for Chubb. Although Chubb was a solid player, he also didn\u2019t live up to expectations, evidenced by the fact that the Dolphins moved on this year. It seems unlikely that any of Arvell Reese, David Bailey, or Rueben Bain will still be on the board when the Dolphins select, but if one of them slips, the Dolphins need to take advantage. T.J. Parker, Cashius Howell, and Zion Young are players who could be had later on.<\/p>\n

Offensive tackle:\u00a0Not only does Willis need weapons to target, but he needs ample time to read defenses and stay upright, which makes a troublesome offensive line something that Miami must improve. The offensive tackle positions, in particular, are needs for the Dolphins. While fans can get bored by their team taking offensive linemen in the first-round, that is something that is on the table for the Dolphins.<\/p>\n

Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, and Kadyn Proctor might be on the board when the Dolphins make their first pick on draft day. Blake Miller is a massive prospect whom the team could target in round two as well.<\/p>\n

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Recent draft history \u2013 top pick in each of the last five years<\/p>\n

2025: Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan (Round one, pick 13)<\/p>\n

2024: Chop Robinson, Edge, Penn State (Round one, pick 21)<\/p>\n

2023: Cam Smith, DB, South Carolina (Round two, pick 51)<\/p>\n

2022: Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia (Round three, pick 102)<\/p>\n

2021: Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama (Round one, pick six)<\/p>\n

Not long ago, the Dolphins were regularly drafting multiple first-round players every year. They took Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, and Noah Igbinoghene in round one in 2020, just for all of them to become draft busts. There is an argument to be made that Miami reached on all of those players.<\/p>\n

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The Dolphins had multiple first-round selections in 2021, too. This time, they did a better job of hitting on their picks. Jaylen Waddle and Jaelan Phillips found new homes this offseason, though Waddle as a part of the biggest offseason trade, and Phillips as the highest-paid free agent signee.<\/a> It is unfortunate that neither of them will be suiting up for the Dolphins going forward, but they are among Miami\u2019s best draft picks in recent memory.<\/p>\n

Since the 2020 and 2021 drafts, the Dolphins have often traded away capital in order to add veteran players. That philosophy resulted in them not picking until round three in 2022 and round two in 2023. Neither Channing Tindall nor Cam Smith has amounted to much with the Dolphins. In fact, despite all of the injuries Miami\u2019s defense has had in recent years, neither player has a single start to their name.<\/p>\n

Chop Robinson and Kenneth Grant are the team\u2019s most recent first-round picks. Both players are contributors, but they haven\u2019t done enough to turn Miami\u2019s defense around. The team has prioritized the defense in recent drafts, but there is no telling what direction they will go in the 2026 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

Related: Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley reacts to Matt LaFleur\u2019s \u2018Packers South\u2019 nickname<\/a><\/p>\n

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Related: Dolphins torched for Tua Tagovailoa, Malik Willis, Jaylen Waddle decisions<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft guide: Number of picks, biggest needs, draft history, and more appeared first on ClutchPoints.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856495,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4955,10084,18700,22912,11227,4691,2184,258,217,7,26718,253,16251,1815,4078,14706,14454,1494,262,4097,251,7583,255,6,9958,109,394,3235,3452,7392,1089],"class_list":{"0":"post-856494","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-2026-nfl-draft","9":"tag-austin-jackson","10":"tag-bradley-chubb","11":"tag-channing-tindall","12":"tag-chop-robinson","13":"tag-david-ojabo","14":"tag-davison-igbinosun","15":"tag-denver-broncos","16":"tag-dolphins","17":"tag-football","18":"tag-germie-bernard","19":"tag-houston-texans","20":"tag-jaelan-phillips","21":"tag-jalen-ramsey","22":"tag-jalen-tolbert","23":"tag-jaylen-waddle","24":"tag-josh-uche","25":"tag-kenneth-grant","26":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","27":"tag-malik-willis","28":"tag-miami-dolphins","29":"tag-minkah-fitzpatrick","30":"tag-new-york-jets","31":"tag-nfl","32":"tag-noah-igbinoghene","33":"tag-philadelphia-eagles","34":"tag-tennessee-titans","35":"tag-the-dolphins","36":"tag-tua-tagovailoa","37":"tag-tutu-atwell","38":"tag-tyreek-hill"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856494","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=856494"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856494\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856495"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}