Miami Dolphins lay cornerstones of rebuild in 7-round 2020 mock draft

The Miami Dolphins have a long way to go in their rebuild but lay cornerstones with multiple first-round 2020 NFL Draft picks in this 7-round mock draft.

To begin their 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins were dismantled by the Baltimore Ravens in a game that ended 59-10. From that point on, everyone assumed the Dolphins were burnt toast and a lock to end with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, possibly going 0-16. But somehow, the Dolphins pulled it together and finished 5-11 after trading away key pieces such as Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Kenyan Drake.

Despite gutting the roster, the future of Miami has the potential to be bright. Young players like Nik Needham and Preston Williams have flashed promise, as well as their most recent first-round draft pick, Christian Wilkins. Arguably their best player, cornerback Xavien Howard, is still relatively young at only 26 years old.

When executing a massive rebuild, one of the best strategies is cutting ties with potentially expensive and high-upside pieces on the verge of second contracts and getting draft capital in return. That’s exactly the formula Miami has used to get to this point as they eye the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Dolphins currently have 12 selections in the 2020 draft, three of those picks in the first round alone and six in the first 70 picks. Miami has set up their rebuild wonderfully with how they can control the draft, either by staying put or making necessary trades.

Even with all of the scouting work that goes into the NFL Draft, it’s still a risky proposition at all times. The Dolphins will miss on players because that’s the nature of the event — no NFL team bats 1.000 in the draft. However, their acquisition of draft capital has given them numerous shots to lay cornerstones for their rebuild.

So how do they do that? Let’s take a look, as the NFL Combine wages on, with a new 7-round 2020 mock draft, compiled using The Draft Network’s mock draft machine.