On Monday, April 13, the Miami Dolphins hosted NFL draft prospect Makai Lemon for a private meeting with the organization. Lemon has been one of the main players linked to the Dolphins at the number 11 pick, a pick that needs to pay dividends to help begin what looks to be a sizable rebuild in Miami. So, who are the top players that mock drafts have linked to the Fins, and what should fans expect from these potential players? Well, I decided to rank the top players based on my overall opinion of the prospect and the realism of these players falling to the Dolphins. I will also be doing another one of these on the Fins’ number 30 pick and a general round-up of the rest of the picks leading up to the NFL Draft next Thursday.
Note: This analysis was performed before the off-field reports about Rueben Bain Jr. surfaced. In light of the news, I have decided to omit my analysis of him from the report. I had listed him as a long shot for the Dolphins due to his initial top-5 projection and his connection as a hometown player, but with how much is unknown about how it may affect his stock or not, I struggled to place him within this ranking.
Ranking the Top Players Linked to the Miami Dolphins at Pick 11
Long Shot: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL) (6’5″, 329 lbs)
While the Miami Dolphins need offensive line help, the position group isn’t quite as dire as some other units on the team, so I don’t expect the Fins to make a play for O-line at 11. That said, if Mauigoa, the top offensive lineman in the class and a Miami product, somehow falls to the Dolphins, this would be a great pick-up. Mauigoa is quite refined as a prospect with extremely respectable size and good mobility, and with Austin Jackson’s contract expiring after the 2026 season, Mauigoa can start as a guard and eventually slot in as the right tackle of the future opposite of 2024 2nd-round pick Patrick Paul. However, Mauigoa falling out of the top 10 is a very big “if” given how needed the offensive line will always be for teams.
Wild Card: Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (6’3”, 241 lbs)
Now wouldn’t this be interesting? A little early for a tight end prospect not named Kyle Pitts or Brock Bowers, but the Dolphins need pass catchers in a big way, and Sadiq is one of the best in the class. The John Mackey Award finalist Sadiq possesses a fantastic frame, great athleticism, and a vast route-running ability that makes him the prototypical matchup nightmare for opponents. He’s even a decent blocker for a more playmaking tight end as well. The only reason I didn’t rank him as a major possibility is less about his expected value in the late teens of the draft and more about the reports of head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan really liking returning tight end Greg Dulcich. Still, it’d be a fun and unexpected pick that I wouldn’t necessarily dislike.
5. Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (6’2″, 203 lbs)
Excitement level: 7/10, Realism level: 8/10
Perhaps the toughest player to grade in the first round, Jordyn Tyson would have been the consensus number one receiver in this class if not for his gruesome injury history. A torn ACL, MCL, and PCL in 2022 at Colorado, a broken collarbone in 2024, and a lingering hamstring issue this season (that seems to be still affecting him) are the laundry list of ailments that Tyson has had to deal with during his time in college. But man, the idea of a fully healthy Tyson is incredible. There are virtually no holes in Tyson’s game, particularly in this past season. Tyson is a great route runner with solid size and athleticism, as well as an elite separation ability. Our Last Word on Sports scouting report did note his tendency to have concentration drops before 2025, but he cleaned those up in his final season.
But it all comes back to availability. Since the draft process began, Tyson’s stock has continued to dip into the teens, and mock drafts have occasionally mocked him in the early 20s, so he would most likely be available when the Dolphins are on the clock at 11. It really depends on how the Dolphins feel about his medical history. That is why my excitement level is at a 7, and I am being more cautiously optimistic if the Fins were to select Tyson. It’s a gamble, but the reward of a healthy Jordyn Tyson would immediately give the Fins a pro-ready receiver that can very quickly turn the barren receiving room around.
4. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (6’2″, 192 lbs)
Excitement level: 10/10, Realism level: 6/10
Considered by many to be the number one receiver in this 2026 NFL draft, Carnell Tate is projected to go higher than number 11, but a couple of mock drafts see him sliding to the Dolphins. In my opinion, he is the most complete receiver prospect in terms of size, athleticism, and receiving ability. He’s Jordyn Tyson without the injury concerns. Of course, his production was not as good as many other top receivers, but that’s mainly because he played opposite Jeremiah Smith. However, that does lead to his flaws, which are less worrying than Tyson’s. Tate is great, yes, but with him always being in the shadow of other Ohio State receivers, you do have to wonder how he would do as a de facto number 1 receiver, which he would immediately be thrust into in Miami. He also struggled with smaller injuries midway through the 2025 season.
Regardless of these questions, the Dolphins would be very fortunate if Tate fell to 11. Tate would fill a massive need while also being a bit of a draft steal. Being able to pair the top receiving prospect in the class with newfound QB Malik Willis also adds some more size to an otherwise fairly small receiving lineup.
3. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee (6’1″, 188 lbs)
Excitement level: 8/10, Realism level: 9/10
As much as wide receiver is a debilitating need for the Dolphins, cornerback might be even more worrisome. They might have signed some secondary help in free agency, most notably Ft. Lauderdale native Marco Wilson, but the backend of the Dolphins’ defense still desperately needs work. Enter Jermod McCoy, an outstanding corner prospect. McCoy is incredibly gifted, with great athleticism and an incredible understanding of coverages. McCoy can fit into any defensive scheme needed, whether that be press man, zone, or a hybrid of the two. He can do it all. McCoy dominated in the SEC as a 19-year-old sophomore in 2024, making top receivers look silly. He’d be an incredible asset to any team’s secondary, let alone one so strapped for talent. So what’s the catch?
Well, like Jordyn Tyson, McCoy has injury history, albeit less concerning. A torn ACL suffered during offseason training last January prevented him from playing his junior season. He has recovered nicely, posting a 4.38 40-yard dash and 38” vertical at his pro day, but it’s hard to project how much past injuries will play a role in a team’s decision to draft him. Some teams will have him and Tyson off their draft board because of these injuries, while others won’t hesitate at the concerns. I really like him as a prospect and would be pretty excited about getting a player with top-5 talent later down the board. However, with this being the first pick in a Dolphins rebuild that looks to proceed into the near future, I would be hesitant to pick a player with injury concerns as your first step to righting the ship.
2. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU (6’0″, 187 lbs)
Excitement level: 10/10, Realism level: 7/10
Staying on the cornerback train, we have the safer pick at corner, though right up there with McCoy in terms of talent. Mansoor Delane is a fantastic man coverage corner that has some room to grow in zone, but his shutdown corner ability mixed with great athleticism and elite ball skills makes him a versatile prospect that projects as a boundary corner but can play in the slot or even at safety if a team feels so inclined. He has a high motor and isn’t afraid to come up and make a play on a ball carrier in run defense.
The main reason Delane isn’t the number 1 rank to me is similar to Carnell Tate: he just most likely won’t make it to the Fins barring a trade up. A couple of teams ahead of Miami, most notably the Kansas City Chiefs and New Orleans Saints, need secondary help in a big way, and with Delane being such a great prospect without any injury concerns, he most likely will not fall outside the top 10. But if he somehow does, the Dolphins would be foolish not to pick him.
1. Makai Lemon, WR, USC (5’11″, 192 lbs)
Excitement level: 9/10, Realism level: 10/10
This is the overwhelming expectation. Take a look at the average mock draft, and you’ll most likely see the Miami Dolphins selecting the USC receiver. In fact, I mocked Makai Lemon to the Fins in our Last Word on Sports Mock Draft. There is a lot to love with Lemon. He produced at a high level at USC, winning last season’s Biletnikoff Award for the nation’s top receiver. He’s able to escape press coverage, manipulate man coverage with savvy route running and solid burst, and find holes in zone coverage. He is even a willing run blocker. Lemon won’t set the world on fire athletically, but he’s a refined receiver who has received comparisons to another former 5’11” USC WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown. It’s a little bit of scouting the helmet, but the similar playstyle and frame do make the comparison fairly accurate.
Like St. Brown, Makai Lemon is expected to play in the slot and be fantastic in that role. However, with the Dolphins having a pretty poor receiving group and many of the receivers within the unit being more slot-oriented, Lemon may need to play inside and out for the Fins if this selection comes to pass. Fortunately, Lemon did line up outside often for the Trojans and was very productive at it, so the Dolphins could utilize that part of his game if they feel the need to. USC practically did everything to get Lemon the ball, from screens to motion swing screens to even reverses, so I’d be very excited to see how a Shanahan-style offense like that of offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik would utilize his skill set.
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