One day out from the draft, the trade-down drumbeat around the Dolphins has gone from a whisper to a near-consensus. SI’s Conor Orr mocked Miami shipping pick 11 to Philadelphia for pick 23 and a 2027 first-rounder. Kyle Crabbs predicts at least one top-50 pick gets moved. Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both had Miami trading out of pick 30 in their finals. The board is set up for Jon-Eric Sullivan to play chess on Thursday night.
The mock drafts themselves tell the same story from a different angle: there’s no consensus on what Miami does at 11, 30, or anywhere else. Five of the biggest names in the industry published finals this week and landed on four different positions.
The only thing they agree on is that Sullivan isn’t taking a wide receiver at 11. Meanwhile inside the building, last year’s first-round pick Kenneth Grant met with reporters and made clear he understands what year two means for a player a new GM didn’t draft.
Here’s everything worth knowing 24 hours out — and if you want to run the scenarios yourself, take control of the Dolphins in the PFSN NFL Mock Draft Simulator.
Sullivan’s Phone Is Going To Be Busy Thursday and Friday
Two days out from the draft and the trade buzz around the Dolphins isn’t slowing down. SI’s Conor Orr mocked a huge trade, with Miami trading pick 11 to the Eagles for pick 23 and a 2027 first-round pick, with Philadelphia jumping up to grab Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. In that scenario, the Dolphins still address two needs in the first round (taking wide receiver KC Concepcion at 23 and cornerback Chris Johnson at 30) while banking a future first in a 2027 class that everyone considers significantly stronger than this one.
Kyle Crabbs appears to be on a similar wavelength. In his final predictions column, Crabbs projects that GM Jon-Eric Sullivan will trade one of their top-50 picks. All of this comes after both Mel Kiper and Todd McShay had the Dolphins trading pick 30 in their final 2026 mock drafts.
The Dolphins have nearly three times as many total selections as some teams in this draft. That kind of ammunition was built for trading, and with NFL insider Jordan Schultz reporting that multiple executives expect this to be one of the most trade-heavy first rounds in recent memory, Miami is positioned perfectly to be in the middle of the action.
Sullivan himself has dropped hints all offseason. He’s talked about needing “three doubles more than one home run.” He’s emphasized volume. He’s said the 2027 class is on his radar. Trading back from 11 and picking up a future first would be the most Sullivan move imaginable. He’d still have pick 23 (or wherever he lands), pick 30 (or a trade-back from there too), pick 43, and four thirds. That’s an absurd amount of draft capital for a team that needs help everywhere.
The Orr mock is especially interesting because it acknowledges the real cost of trading down. You lose Caleb Downs, or whoever Sullivan’s top guy is at 11. Downs could be a defense-changing safety. Passing on that kind of talent hurts, even if the long-term math favors stockpiling picks. Sullivan has to decide whether the best player at 11 is worth more than a future first plus a slightly lower pick this year. That’s the tension of this entire draft for the Dolphins.
Bottom line: Don’t be shocked if the Dolphins make a trade or two on Thursday and/or Friday night. Sullivan has the capital, the roster flexibility, and the philosophical inclination to move around the board. Whether he slides back from 11, trades out of 30, or moves around in round two, the growing consensus is that Miami’s draft card won’t read “11”, “30”, or “43” when it’s all said and done. This is a GM who wants to play chess, and he finally has enough pieces on the board to do it.
What Some Draft Analysts and NFL Reporters Think Miami Will Do in Round 1
One of the final waves of mock drafts hit yesterday, and there is exactly zero consensus on what the Dolphins do with their first pick. Which honestly tells you more about this draft class than anything else. Here’s where the biggest names in draft and NFL media landed on Miami’s two first-round selections.
At pick 11, there is no consensus. ESPN’s Jordan Reid has Miami taking Utah OT Spencer Fano, saying Fano “makes way too much sense” for a team that needs to rebuild from the inside out. NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks went defense with LSU corner Mansoor Delane, calling him a “high-IQ cover corner that would jump-start the Dolphins’ defensive makeover.”
PFT’s insider-sourced mock went offensive line, landing Miami OT Francis Mauigoa. ESPN’s Peter Schrager gave Miami Mauigoa as well. Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald and Nate Tice seemingly agreed with Brooks, giving Jeff Hafley the first cornerback off the board in LSU’s Mansoor Delane, calling him “smart” and “a great fit for Jeff Hafley.”
So that’s two offensive linemen (including Mauigoa x2) and one corner (Delane x2) across five mocks. Not a single receiver at 11. Notable for sure.
Pick 30 also lacks a clear consensus. Reid went with Auburn edge rusher Keldric Faulk, the same developmental pass rusher who’s been a polarizing projection all cycle. He noted he “wouldn’t be shocked” if Miami took Faulk earlier, but slotted him here as a value play. PFT went receiver with Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., who would be a steal at 30. Many mocks have him coming off the board in the teens or early 20s.
Bucky Brooks addresses the interior offensive line with Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon, describing him as “a beast at the point of attack” who would “set the tone for the Dolphins’ offensive makeover.” Yahoo went receiver with USC’s Makai Lemon, though it would be surprising if Lemon fell to 30. Schrager, meanwhile, completed the injury-risk daily double by pairing Mauigoa at 11 (who reportedly has a herniated disc in his back) with Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy, who has concerns around a potentially degenerative knee and could require additional knee surgery.
The real wildcard, of course, is what we noted earlier in the newsletter. SI’s Conor Orr mocked Miami trading pick 11 entirely, sending it to Philadelphia for pick 23 and a 2027 first-rounder. Similar trade-back scenarios are gaining serious traction across the industry, too.
Bottom line: The only thing the experts seem to agree on is that Sullivan isn’t taking a receiver at 11. After that, it’s a free-for-all. Offensive line, corner, edge, trade back. Everything is on the table. If you’re looking for a prediction you can bank on, here’s the safest one: Sullivan’s phone is going to ring a lot on Thursday night, and he’s going to answer it.
Year Two for Kenneth Grant, and He Explains the Difference
Almost exactly a year ago, Chris Grier used the 13th pick on Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. It raised eyebrows at the time. A lot of people thought it was a reach. Grant’s rookie season didn’t exactly silence the doubters, either. He flashed at times but finished with modest numbers: 33 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, and a batted pass. He ended the season ranked 78th in PFSN’s DT Impact metric, a disappointing rookie year for a player drafted in the top half of the first round.
To his credit, Grant knows where he stands. “I know what to expect now,” he said on Tuesday. “I’m not a rookie anymore.”
He also knows the front office that drafted him is gone. Jon-Eric Sullivan didn’t pick him. Grier did. That means Grant is essentially auditioning for a new boss with no built-in loyalty. “We’re kind of, right now, on ground zero,” Grant said. “Everybody’s on a clean-slate playing field. He treats me just like everybody else in the building.”
The most interesting thing Grant said was about how he’s training differently. Last offseason was all about the combine: running 40s, hitting drills, performing for stopwatches. This year, he’s focused on technique, hand speed, and getting off blocks.
“This offseason, I just really focused on being more of a football player,” he said. “Training for the combine last year is different when you’re in football shape rather than combine shape.” That’s the kind of self-awareness that suggests the light might be coming on.
Hafley’s defense should help. Miami is transitioning to a four-down-lineman base, which gives interior guys like Grant more opportunities to attack gaps rather than eat blocks in a three-man front. Grant described the mentality as “grind blocks, provide that violent mentality, and make plays.”
Grant also talked about being ready to mentor incoming rookies after going through it himself. “There’s going to be a lot of things they’re not going to be expecting, but it’s my job to make them feel comfortable.”
Bottom line: Grant was a Grier pick playing in an Anthony Weaver defense. Now he’s got new coaches, a new scheme, and a GM who owes him nothing. Year two is where first-round defensive tackles either justify the investment or start fading into the background. Grant sounds like he knows the stakes. Now he has to prove it on the field.
Don’t Miss Out
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