Below is Aqua & Coral Report’s first official seven-round Miami Dolphins Mock Draft of this year. A few notes to consider before checking out the picks:
— The mock draft simulator used was Mock Draft Database, since it pulls information from other mocks to compile its list. That said, either our evaluations are off or the myriad of mock draft sites out there are currently behind and haven’t been updated with combine information.
— The opportunity was there to be ridiculous, but I chose to go against that. Example: wide receiver Bryce Lance – who I have a Day 2 grade on – was available when Miami made its second-to-last selection (150 overall) using Mock Draft Database. Rather than make that selection so that this mock looked as good as it could, I chose to players who were more of a realistic option when that pick arrives.
— Just like the teams, I am taking one crack at it (i.e. no restarts). Whatever comes up in the first run of the mock simulator is how it is, whether I like it or not.
— Finally, because there is no telling what a trade would net the Dolphins, I decided against trading any picks and stuck to where they currently draft.
MOCK DRAFT 1.0
This mock was produced prior to yesterday’s big news on the signing of Malik Willis, and initially, I did not like the direction that the mock took.
A day later, however, and adding protection early in your latest investment suddenly makes a lot of sense, as does the addition of a big receiver and a flyer on a tight end.
Overall, Willis’ signing has changed dramatically the way we see things going in Miami and probably need to re-evaluate a decent amount that was assumed going into this draft.
That said, each mocked draftee below has their player evaluation from ACR as of 3/6/26 included.
R1, PICK 11: OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia
This is one of the spots that I hope Miami is able to trade down slightly, but would feel comfortable if Freeling is the pick. Clemson EDGE T.J. Parker is criminally underrated in my opinion, but pairing the 6-7, athletic Freeling with the similarly freakish Patrick Paul is probably a good idea with the team having invested in a quarterback.
Freeling is the most complete offensive tackle in this draft. There are players who came in rated higher like Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano, but Freeling is the only prospect of the three with undeniable NFL tackle traits.
⭐ OT Monroe Freeling, Georgia: Long (6-7, 315) and strong with real good feet and fluid transitions; combine couldn’t have been much better to him – 34 3/4-inch arms, 10 ¾-inch hands and 4.93 40-yard dash with a 1.71 split (both exceptional) and a 33 ½-inch vertical; plays with great spatial awareness in pass pro; handles stunts and quick pass rush moves with relative ease; can overextend at times but has an effective punch; effective maneuvering in tight space in run game in gap; can seal multiple blocks in short space; movement and effectiveness in space on down field blocks in zone is good, though there are whiffs and off-balance plays he’ll need to clean up; plays smart and seems smart in interviews; plays aggressive and to the whistle; very low mileage with his first starts coming in 2024 (19 total); can get out over his feet a bit, especially in trying to engage second level blocks; is not the perfect prospect but upside is the highest among tackles in the class; will need a little time (R1)
R2, PICK 43: G Gennings Dunker, Iowa
Wanted San Diego State CB Chris Johnson, who was gone and was left with a selection of linemen at the top of my board.
Picked Dunker, who projects at guard for me and would add another long, athletic force to Miami’s offensive line.
G Gennings Dunker, Iowa: what’s not to like; fun guy to watch; does give up a little too much ground at times in pass pro, but generally does well; has good not great feet, but certainly NFL good; is a beast in the run game and looks like his goal is to make people feel him+++; first guy I’ve seen do this type stuff to people since Trevor Penning and his tape reminds me of the late Conrad Dobler, plays to the echo; he WILL get in opponents heads; 6-5, 319; would move him to guard where he would also have relatively long arms for the position (33 ½-inches); will set the tone in your run game; can get over his feet but is pretty good in recovery/re-anchor; looks generally less comfortable in pass sets; pretty good at getting to the second level so his power isn’t limited to just gap type schemes; athletic measures at combine were 2nd among guards; fits Dolphins stated size profile (R2)
R3, PICK 75: S A.J. Haulcy, LSU
Haulcy should not go this low, but his testing at the combine makes it possible. As stated in his eval, taking him is a case of taking a football player over a set of testing numbers. Would probably end up a fan favorite.
⭐S A.J. Haulcy, LSU: 88 tackles, 3 int., 1 FF and 4 PBUs in ’25; 6-0, 215; good anticipatory skills and a big hitter, though he does come in a little hot sometimes, taking bad angles; very physical defender, breaks up a lot of balls with big hits; looks even bigger than listed size; was LSUs deep safety and shows pretty good range; testing scores don’t match play speed (he tested average – 4.52 (1.62 split); hips are good for a guy his size; good burst shows upon play recognition; not a safety you’re going to match up one on one but he does real well cutting off underneath passes and playing with the ball in front of him; good zone defender and can certainly be used to rush the passer; would move him inside to box as a pro as he looks more nimble than fast; had 7 picks in two years at Houston before transferring; could be a versatile piece in time; poise, instincts, football player; taking him is a case of film over tests (R2/3)
R3, PICK 87: CB Julian Neal, Arkansas
Finally had a chance to address the most depleted position on the Dolphins roster, and did so with one of my favorite players in the draft, given where he is projected to go.
⭐ CB Julian Neal, Arkansas: 6-2, 203 and long; long looking arms (32 ¾-inches at combine) and physical but also good in the air on contracted balls; transferred from Fresno; former basketball player; press coverage skills; good at re-routing receivers; has fluid hips and is a strong tackler; real strong hands; could use some refinement but unlike most, he’s great playing with his back to the ball as he is real good at covering and tracking at the same time; rarely caught face guarding; quick hips; good body control in the air and good physical awareness around receivers to stay within space without penalty; could probably be good in man or zone but man is what will get him paid; 4.49 40 (1.59 split), 40-inch vertical (6th among CB), 11-2 broad (1st), 16 reps (3rd); could be diamond in the rough of this class; good fit for Hafley defense (R2-R3)
R3, PICK 90: WR Ja’Kobi Lane, USC
Dolphins need to address X receiver and this is a good draft to do it. There may be no better player at contested balls than Lane.
Like a few others, his draft status could change on some of the other mock draft sites eventually because he had a very good combine for a player of his length. It would be a shockingly good pick for Miami to land him.
WR Ja’Kobi Lane, USC: 6-4, 200+++; looks wirey due to his length, but his game is probably a better match for MIA than his teammate’s (Lemon); tall but still goes higher up the ladder on contested balls++; huge catch radius; if he can get off the line as a pro he’ll be tough to defend on outs; isn’t particularly speedy but does run well and can find his way through traffic for extra yards; big hands, long arms is what shows up on tape; uses his hands well to create separation from the DB when the ball arrives; has the traits you’d want in an X opposite Waddle, or at least in short yardage/red zone situation; not going to break a lot of tackles; has great hands; 32 5/8-inch arms; I like the guy, underrated; killed the combine – 4.47 40-yard dash with a 40-inch vertical will spell trouble for corners (R2-R3)
R4, PICK 111: EDGE Caden Curry, Ohio State
Based on other mock drafts and rankings out there, this is higher than he should go by a few spots and the hunch is he’s being overlooked because of a relatively small body of work and pretty short arms (30 1/8-inch).
This is the range I really wanted to select one of my favorites, Kansas State 6-3 safety V.J. Payne, but having already selected a box safety it would have been overkill.
EDGE Caden Curry, Ohio State: 6-3, 257 and low miles; really only saw significant playing time in his senior season; amazing stat like for ’25: 66 tackles (40 solo) 11 sacks, 16.5 TFLs, 1FF, 2 FR and 2 passes batted down++; OSU lined him up from the 5 all the way to a 0 tech; there’s no way he can handle that in the pros, but it’s encouraging to know he could slide in to a 3 technique on passing downs; versatility and run support will be appreciated in Miami; uses a variety of moves with his hands/arms to get upfield, pretty relentless; seems like his trajectory is up; probably have him higher than most (R3)
R5, PICK 150: DT Kaleb Proctor, SE Louisiana
At first glance, not a pick that matches Sullivan’s stated size profile desires, but athleticism gives him versatility for Hafley’s system that may override that. I see him more as a versatile end than a straight up defensive tackle.
DT Kaleb Proctor, SE La.: 6-2, 291 but has 33-inch arms and outstanding movement skills; 4.79 40 (1.68 10-yard split) with a 33-inch vertical and and 4.71 shuttle helped him to the 4th best combine athletic score among DTs; he’s definitely quick enough to play outside; 43 tackles, 9 sacks and 13 TFLs last year; crazy movement skills; more I think about it, could be a weapon in a system like Miami’s where movement skills on a lineman means versatility; not the typical DT profile JES would likely go after, but could play early down end and passing down tackle, which would be a size mismatch on many occasions; the arms make it realistic he could do it; 6 tackles and 2 sacks at LSU in 2025; somebody could fall in love and move up for this guy (R4)
R7, PICK 226: TE Dae’Quan Wright, Ole Miss
Once again, I feel like there is no way this player falls this low. Wright is a true Y tight end who is both a solid blocker and receiver. Would be a solid pickup this late and though Sullivan said they were going to select a quarterback this draft, I found it unreasonable with how the draft fell for me and particularly unreasonable now.
TE Dae’quan Wright, Ole Miss: probably 1a to Klein’s 1b at right end for me this year; 6-4, 246 and presents as a true Y; did not test at combine but was measured to have 32 ¼-inch arms; has the mass and dtrength to be in-line; good running after the catch; could still use some work as a blocker but is probably the best among the TEs with multiplicity; good at reach blocks outside as well as a blocker on the second level; posted 39 receptions for 635 yards in 2025 and his 16.3 ypc was among the best nationally for a tight end; can play in the slot or line up inline; runs nice routes and takes on defenders with the ball in his hands; needs to learn the art of the stiff arm; could be a good pro (R4)
R7, PICK 237: WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois St.
Using the pick just acquired by trading Minkah Fitzpatrick to the New York Jets, another big receiver to Miami acquired using the pick once owned by the Chargers.
WR Daniel Sobkowicz, Illinois State: 6-3, 205; posted 83 catches for 1,141 yards and 19 TDs; good body control in the air; uses size well and wins 50-50s; good hands; shows up quickly he’s a crisp route runner; really smart player, is deceptive with his head both to get open and to behave toward a DB as if a pass is not on the way; don’t know how fast he is and he doesn’t have a ton of burst, but he’s definitely quick and crafty as hell; check Pro Day speed (R7)
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