The Miami Dolphins are currently scheduled to have a stretch during the 2024 NFL draft where they won’t make a selection for more than 100 picks.
After the team makes its second-round selection at No. 55 overall, the Dolphins are set to sit on their hands until the fifth round when it’s finally time for the No. 158 overall selection to be made. Will Miami actually wait that long to hunt for upgrades on a roster that could contend for the AFC East title in 2024?
In this mock draft for the Dolphins, they aggressively hunt for ways to make more than just two picks in the top 100 selections. With the draft just two days away, here’s a projection of how all seven rounds could potentially go for Miami:
Trade with Detroit Lions
Dolphins receive Nos. 29 and 73 overall
Lions receive No. 21
Two years ago, Lions general manager Brad Holmes climbed 20 selections in the first round to take wide receiver Jameson Williams. Last year, Holmes made five deals in the first two days of the draft alone.
So I’m not convinced he’ll be content to sit back at No. 29 overall and wait to see which 28 players are taken ahead of the Lions’ selection. With needs at cornerback and pass rusher, Detroit could get aggressive in its hunt to push a roster that was good enough to reach the NFC Championship into one that makes the Super Bowl.
In this scenario, it’s Iowa’s Cooper DeJean who is on the board and captivates Holmes.
Round 1, No. 29 overall (via Lions): Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
In a press conference last week, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said the team is “always trying to take a two-year look into the future” when assessing its needs. Perhaps no area on the roster has a more bleak situation for the long-term than offensive tackle.
For now, Miami has an ascending young right tackle in Austin Jackson, an aging five-time Pro Bowler at left tackle in Terron Armstead, and a reliable backup in Kendall Lamm. But Armstead has missed at least a handful of games in almost every season of his NFL career and both he and Lamm could be set to retire after the 2024 season. Lamm called this upcoming season his “last ride” and Armstead said he has contemplated hanging up his cleats “the past two, maybe three seasons.”
While the Dolphins could use an infusion of talent that’s could contribute immediately, Guyton is a massive 6’8 tackle who could take over as a starter in 2025 and potentially hop into action in the event of an injury in 2024.
Round 2, No. 55 overall: Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
Mike McDaniel’s affinity for fast playmakers on offense has led other teams to reportedly assume the Dolphins will go after Xavier Worthy of Texas. But the first round is a little rich for the 165-pound receiver and he probably won’t be on the board at No. 55 overall in the second round. Wilson could scratch that itch for McDaniel, though.
The 5’11, 185-pound receiver put down a 4.39 40-yard dash at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine and recorded 12 touchdowns on only 48 receptions in Michigan’s run-heavy offense in 2023. Wilson showed his big-play ability at the Senior Bowl too, where he routinely cooked the defensive backs in attendance.
Chris Grier likes picking national champions, has never shied away from undersized receivers, and could use a third option to complement Tyreek Hill and Jayden Waddle. Wilson checks all those boxes.
Round 3, No. 73 overall (via Lions): Austin Booker, EDGE, Kansas
Even if Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips are back in time for Week 1 and play well in 2024 — far from a guarantee after ACL and Achilles tears, respectively — the Dolphins still could use more pass rushing help. The team cut ties with Emmanuel Ogbah and allowed Andrew Van Ginkel to walk in free agency earlier this offseason. They replaced that duo by signing 31-year-old Shaquil Barrett to a one-year deal.
Perhaps the slow development of 2022 seventh-round pick Cameron Goode will yield results, but the Dolphins should be looking for more help at the position, regardless.
Booker, who visited the Dolphins earlier this month, is a 6’5, 240 pound edge rusher who is much less raw than you’d expect from a player with his inexperience. “The diversity of his rush approach is unheard of for a player with so little playing time,” Lance Zierlein wrote in a scouting report on NFL.com.
Trade with Commanders
Dolphins receive No. 78 overall
Commanders receive 2025 second-round pick
Grier hasn’t been afraid to dip into future draft picks to secure a player he wants right away. He ditched a 2022 third-rounder in 2021 to get Liam Eichenberg, gave away 2017 third- and fourth-rounders to land Leonte Carroo in 2016, and traded away draft picks to get veterans like Bradley Chubb, Tyreek Hill, and Jalen Ramsey.
In 2025, the Dolphins are set to receive two third-round picks as compensation for losing Christian Wilkins and Robert Hunt in free agency. With five top 100 (or so) picks at their disposal next year, Grier might feel more inclined to shed a future second- or third-round pick to supplement his 2024 draft class.
By the time pick No. 78 rolls around, the Commanders will be set to make their fifth of six top 100 selections. While there’s no shortage of needs for Washington to address, adding a future second-round pick to their arsenal may be more enticing for their long-term rebuild rather than picking another rookie for an already crowded class.
Round 3, No. 78 overall (via Commanders): Brandon Coleman, G, TCU
Coleman is a solidly built 6’5, 313-pound lineman who played both guard and tackle for the Horned Frogs. While Coleman projects better as a guard, he’s tremendously athletic for his size with a sub-five-second 40-yard dash and a 34-inch vertical. That would come in handy in the Dolphins’ zone rushing schemes.
After losing Robert Hunt in free agency, the Dolphins could use help on the interior of their line and their first-round pick, Guyton, will be limited to contributions at the tackle position only. Coleman would have a chance to compete for the starting right guard job immediately in Miami.
Round 5, No. 158 overall: Jarrian Jones, CB, Florida State
Ideally for the Dolphins, 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith has much bigger things ahead in his future after spending almost all of his rookie year watching the Miami defense from the sidelines. Would that be enough to round out the position group with Jalen Ramsey, Kendall Fuller, Kader Kohou, and Nik Needham? Maybe, but the Dolphins seem inclined to add more.
Jones was one of several defensive backs brought to Miami for a pre-draft visit. The 6’0, 190-pound corner has 4.38 speed with a 39.5-inch vertical and could be the type of physical player who thrives in Anthony Weaver’s defense.
Round 6, No. 184 overall: Erick All, TE, Iowa
The Dolphins haven’t emphasized the tight end position much since hiring Mike McDaniel as head coach, but may be set to change in 2024. The team already signed former Titans, Patriots, and Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith to a two-year contract and the Dolphins are reportedly smitten with Texas’ Ja’Tavion Sanders.
While they don’t wind up with Sanders in this mock, they get a similar 6’4 athletic tight end in All.
The reason he’s available this late and the question moving forward will be health after All suffered season-ending injuries in each of the last two seasons. But his skills make him worth a flyer in the sixth round.
Round 6, No. 198 overall: Evan Anderson, DT, Florida Atlantic
Waiting this long to add a defensive tackle might be a head-scratcher after the departures of both Christian Wilkins and Raekwon Davis, but the Dolphins also seem pretty convinced that they solved the issue (at least, temporarily) by signing a bunch of veterans to one-year deals, including Teair Tart, Neville Gallimore, and Benito Jones.
“The group we have were targeted players, really liked their potential and what they can be,” Grier said of the newly added defensive linemen last week. “They’ve been in working hard already and it’s a really good group. Starting to see that bond come together with that group and they’re all competing hard. So with the roster, it’s not a priority, but it’s obviously any player that we can add that helps our roster and is a good impact player, we’ll take.”
So instead of getting a big body for the defense in the first two days of the draft, here the Dolphins wait until late to add a hometown prospect.
Round 7, No. 241 overall: Nook Bradford, S, TCU
The Dolphins filled a hole in their secondary by signing former Bills strong safety Jordan Poyer, but that’s certainly not a long-term fix. Hoping that Millard “Nook” Bradford eventually takes over in the starting lineup might be wishful thinking, but it wouldn’t hurt to add him to a group that’s lacking depth.
Even if the 5’10, 191-pounder never proves to be a difference-maker in the secondary, Bradford has the requisite skills to be an immediate contributor on special teams.
