Football

Miami Dolphins 2026 Draft Central: Setting the Stage for a Huge Weekend

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated April 23, 2026 6:54 AM

The Miami Dolphins are heading into their first draft under the new regime of General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley, and it's as vital a draft as the team perhaps has ever conducted.

With 11 picks, including seven of the first 94 in the first three rounds, the Dolphins have to opportunity to take a big step toward a turnaround that every fan hopes will be quick and as painless as possible.

To set the stage for the Dolphins, we have put together in one place all the pertinent information for the 2026 draft taking place from Thursday through Saturday in Pittsburgh, along with a one-stop shop grouping of the pertinent pre-draft stories on Miami Dolphins On SI.

This page will be updated throughout the draft as the Dolphins make their selections.

PROSPECT STORIES:

-- Evaluating the idea of "inside out" against best player available

-- Why Dolphins fans shouldn't sleep on Keldric Faulk

-- Examining buyer-beware prospect for the Dolphins

PROJECTIONS AND MOCK DRAFTS:

-- Examining five good options at number 30

-- Three-round Dolphins mock draft 2.0

-- What a trade-heavy Dolphins draft might look like

-- What the Dexter Lawrence trade means (good and bad) for the Dolphins

-- Ranking the five most popular 11th overall projections

-- How Ty Simpson could factor into the Dolphins plans

-- Seven-round Dolphins mock draft at the end of Pro Days

-- Seven-round Dolphins mock draft after the Jaylen Waddle trade

THE DOLPHINS SITUATION

-- What the Dolphins need to accomplish in the 2026 draft

-- Identifying the top four Dolphins targets and the teams that could get in the way

-- Evaluating a new (and very intriguing) hypothetical Dolphins draft trade

-- Some Dolphins draft connections to remember on draft weekend

-- What to expect from Jon-Eric Sullivan in his first Dolphins draft

-- The biggest takeaways from Jon-Eric Sullivan's pre-draft press conference

-- The big Dolphins problem in the 2026 draft

-- What a Dolphins trade up or down from 11 might look like

-- Why this Dolphins draft shouldn't be all about Malik Willis

-- Examining a potential clue for Dolphins top pick

-- Examining how much draft-weekend trade activity to expect from the Dolphins

-- What the "Green Bay way" suggests for the 2026 Dolphins draft

DOLPHINS DRAFT HISTORY

-- The Dolphins history of trading down in the first round (and how it worked out)

-- The Dolphins all-time draft steal team: defense

-- The Dolphins all-time draft steal team: offense

-- Ranking and grading every Dolphins draft since 2000

2026 NFL Draft Facts & Figures

WHAT: 91st Annual National Football League Player Selection Meeting

WHERE: Pittsburgh, Pa.

WHEN: Thursday, April 23, 8 p.m. (Round 1); Friday, April 24, 7 p.m. (Rounds 2-3); Saturday, April 25, noon (Rounds 4-7)

The first round will conclude Thursday by approximately 11 p.m. ET. The second and third rounds will conclude Friday by approximately 11 p.m. ET. The draft will conclude by approximately 7 p.m. ET on Saturday with the final four rounds.

ROUNDS: Seven Rounds – Round 1 on Thursday, April 23; Rounds 2 and 3 on Friday, April 24; and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday, April 25

There will be 257 selections, including 33 compensatory choices that have been awarded to 15 teams that either experienced a net loss of certain quality unrestricted free agents last year or received special selections under a 2020 amendment to the League's Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was agreed upon by the NFL and the NFLPA to promote equal employment opportunities and an inclusive workforce within NFL clubs.

TIME LIMITS: Round 1: 8 minutes per selection (this is new for 2026). Round 2: Seven minutes per selection. Rounds 3 through 6, including compensatory picks: Five minutes per selection. Round 7, including compensatory picks: Four minutes per selection.

TELEVISION & RADIO: The 2026 NFL Draft will be televised nationally by NFL Network, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and can be heard nationwide on Westwood One Sports, SiriusXM and ESPN Radio.

THE DOLPHINS' 2026 DRAFT PICKS

Round 1 - 11th overall; 30th overall

Round 2 - 43rd overall (11th in round)

Round 3 - 75th overall (11th in round); 87th overall (23rd in round); 90th overall (26th in round); 94th overall (30th in round)

Round 4 - 130th overall (30th in round)

Round 5 - 151st overall (11th in round)

Round 6 - None

Round 7 - 227th overall (11th in round); 238th overall (22nd in round)

TRADES INVOLVING 2026 DOLPHINS PICKS

Round 1 - The Dolphins acquired the 30th overall pick as part of the trade that sent WR Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos

Round 3 - The Dolphins acquired the 87th overall pick from the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 trade for OLB Jaelan Phillips; the Dolphins acquired the 90th overall pick from the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2025 fourth-round selection; the Dolphins acquired the 94th overall pick as part of the Waddle trade

Round 4 - The Dolphins traded the 111th overall pick to the Denver Broncos and received the 130th overall pick as part of the Waddle trade

Round 6 - The Dolphins traded the 192nd overall pick to the New York Giants as part of the 2025 trade for TE Darren Waller

Round 7 - The Dolphins acquired the 238th overall pick from the New York (through the L.A. Chargers and Tennessee Titans) for DB Minkah Fitzpatrick

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 6:40 AM.