The Miami Dolphins are clearly not trying to win football games this year. In the NFL, you don't typically see teams 'tanking,' but there isn't a discussion here - the Dolphins are tanking as much as an NFL team can truly do it in this league.
The team parted with a ton of former key contributors this offseason like Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and James Daniels. They also shocked the NFL world by trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos for a first and a third-round pick, while swapping fourth-rounders.
Suddenly, a ton of talent is out of the building, but this does come with a slight benefit - the team has seven picks in the top-100 selections, including two first-rounders, one second-rounder, and four third-rounders. Their first-round selections should look precisely like this.
Miami Dolphins have an obvious path to take in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
11th Overall - Makai Lemon, WR, USC
With pick 11, the Dolphins should take Makai Lemon, a productive wide receiver from USC. Lemon is just 21 years old until June and is arguably a top-10 prospect. At 5-11 and 192 pounds, Lemon is actually quite similar in size to Waddle himself and is going to feast in the slot.
Lance Zierlein's NFL.com profile on Lemon compares him to Amon-Ra St. Brown, which is elite company to be compared to. His hands are elite, and to be honest with you, he can do it all from the position. Miami losing both Hill and Waddle does force them to find some production here.
Miami signed Malik Willis in free agency, and they simply cannot trot out this group of playmakers. In order to give a fair evaluation with Willis, and for the long-term stability of the room, adding an explosive, productive 'slot machine' in Lemon makes a ton of sense.
30th Overall - Max Iheanachor, OT, Arizona State
Max Iheanachor is still relatively new to football, but people rave about the traits and overall athleticism. The Dolphins have always seemed to be a franchise that is a bit limp in the trenches, and Iheanachor could eventually fix that. He's big, long, and powerful. He could eventually take over for Austin Jackson, who has been an uninspiring player along the offensive line.
Building up the offense like this in Round 1 would allow Miami to turn to a 'best player available' approach with the rest of their picks. While NFL defenses are beginning to win the power struggle against offenses in recent years, today's NFL requires teams to draft and develop on offense.
But conversely, teams are able to 'buy' talent on defense, as that has been a sustainable way of winning. Of course, no matter the situation, there is always a need for teams to hit on draft picks, but that is much more important offensively.
New General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan may already be in the most important draft class he'll have as a GM. With a ton of draft capital and roster holes all over the place, these two first-round picks would be the best course of action.