Some names to keep in mind for Dolphins’ second-round pick. And some feedback
Under former general manager Chris Grier, the Dolphins twice traded valuable assets to move up in the second round to draft players. In each case -- Liam Eichenberg and Jonah Savaiinaea -- Miami shouldn’t have bothered.
Under the Jon-Eric Sullivan regime, if the Dolphins move off 43 on the second day of the NFL Draft on April 24, it likely will be to move to a later pick and pick up additional assets, just as the Giants and Raiders did in snookering Miami on the Eichenberg and Savaiinaea trades.
Predicting with any certainty who will be available at 43 or soon after is impossible, but here are names generally projected by multiple draft analysts for that range or later in the second round, after Miami picks 11th and 30th in the first round (barring trades):
Wide receivers
Alabama’s Germie Bernard, Washington’s Denzel Boston, Georgia’s Zachariah Branch, Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields and perhaps Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell, who ran a 4.37 in the 40-yard-dash at the Combine.
Feedback: ESPN’s Matt Miller says Boston is a “true No. 1 receiver” and “can win the 50/50 balls.” It would be surprising if he drops to 43; Miller has him 36th....
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein calls the 5-9 Branch a “slot receiver who can turn routine touches into explosive gains” and said the 6-4 Fields “might never be a star, but his traits, playing style and ball skills should make him a productive WR2 in time.” But Fields’ stock seemingly has taken a hit; some have him falling to the third round.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper raves about Brazzell, who averaged 16.4 yards per catch: “I’ve been a fan throughout the process, and I had him in my Round 1 mock draft in January. It’s hard to find receivers with that body type who can run and move as he does. He popped in 2025 -- his second season at Tennessee after transferring from Tulane -- with 1,017 yards and nine scores.”
ESPN’s Jordan Reid calls “Bernard a versatile playmaker who can line up in multiple spots, including the backfield.”
Offensive linemen
Clemson offensive tackle Blake Miller (might not make it to 42), Oregon guard Emmanuel Pregnon, Arizona State offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, Texas A&M guard Chase Bisontis, Northwestern offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan, Iowa guard/tackle Gennings Dunker.
Feedback: Kiper said right tackle is Miller’s only position, which could work against him with some teams; Miami likes versatile linemen. Miller started 54 career games at Clemson, “so he is battle-tested and could potentially start right away with his run-blocking power and strong hands in pass protection,” ESPN’s Reid said.
Reid said “Iheanachor is a high-upside player who’s still growing into the position after not playing football in high school.... Pregnon allowed only one sack over the past two seasons..... At 6-foot-8, 328 pounds, Tiernan is a dependable and high-floor blocker who could eventually take over at either tackle spot.”
Edge players
Clemson’s TJ Parker (11 and 5 sacks the past two seasons), Illinois’ Gabe Jacas (11 sacks last season), Oklahoma’s R Mason Thomas (9 and 6.5 sacks the past two years), Michigan’s Derrick Moore (10 sacks last season), Penn State’s Dani Dennis-Sutton (8.5 sacks last season) and UCF’s Malachi Lawrence (seven sacks in 2025).
Feedback: Miller says Parker - who’s 6-4 and 263 pounds - “has length and strength at the point of attack. He might never be a double-digit sack player, but Parker is consistently solid on tape.”
Reid said “Jacas shows plenty of violence as an edge setter against the run.”
Kiper said Lawrence “can fly off the edge, with really solid closing speed” but adds that he’s a pass rush specialist. Miami needs to find starting edge players, not just rush specialists.
Inside linebackers
Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez (undersized but highly productive, with a remarkable seven forced fumbles last season), Texas’ Anthony Hill, Georgia’s CJ Allen, Cincinnati’s Jake Golday.
Feedback: Hill had 17 sacks and three interceptions in three years at Texas and “has the athletic tools to be a fierce weakside linebacker,” Miller said.
Few defensive players in college are as productive as Rodriguez, but he’s projected more toward the later part of Round 2. He had four interceptions last year and 13 forced fumbles in his career. Miller calls him “a heady, downhill player” who’s ready to be an NFL starter.
Cornerbacks
Tennessee’s Colton Hood, San Diego State’s Chris Johnson (mocked to Miami by Reid), Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun, UM’s Keionte Scott, Arkansas’ Julian Neal, Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds (his 5-9 height is only negative for an exceptional playmaker), Arizona State’s Keith Adney II.
Feedback: The Athletic Dane Brugler has Johnson going one spot after Miami and calls him “one of the more underrated prospects in the draft.” Miller said he has “length, speed and great instincts in coverage.”
Miller said UM’s Scott “is one of the best slot corners to come out of college in some time.”
Reid said “Igbinosun’s developmental arc will take some time, as he’s handsy in coverage, but that patience could pay off in the long term.... Neal is a long, scheme-versatile corner who comes with pro-ready poise.”
Ponds’ 43 ½ inch vertical jump (fifth best among cornerbacks at the Combine in the past 23 years) “will make NFL front offices take a long look at him in the second round,” Kiper said. “I’d be shocked if Ponds gets out of Round 2.”
Abney “is one of the best pure coverage players in the class -- tough and feisty in coverage at the line of scrimmage and fights through traffic,” Miller said.
Safeties
LSU’s AJ Haulcy, Penn State’s Zakee Wheatley, Arizona’s Treydan Stukes.
Feedback: The Dolphins brought Haulcy to team headquarters and he’s viewed as a potential late second-rounder. Miller said he’s “a big safety (6-foot, 215 pounds) who has been a playmaker, with 10 career interceptions.”
Reid said “Wheatley is an underrated free safety who isn’t afraid of coming downhill in run support.” Stukes is projected for the late second round or early third round.
Defensive tackles
Georgia’s Cristen Miller, Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, Oklahoma’s Gracen Halton. UF’s Caleb Banks could go higher than 43 but inconsistency offsets talent in the eyes of some.
Feedback: Reid said “Miller has the potential to start very early in his career. McDonald is a stout presence on the interior who led the country in run stop win rate last season (7.8%) while also possessing a pass-rushing punch.”
Halton reportedly impressed teams at the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine. McDonald was brought to Dolphins headquarters for a pre-draft visit.
Tight end
Assuming Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq is long gone, there’s only one who’s a potential option at 43 - Vanderbilt’s Eli Stowers, who Miller mocks to Miami.
Feedback: Stowers, a former quarterback, caught 62 passes for 749 yards (most among FBS tight ends) and four TDs last season. ESPN’s Reid said “Stowers was one of the biggest stories at the Combine, leaping 45½ inches in the vertical. Can play inline or flex out to create mismatches.”
This story was originally published April 6, 2026 at 11:54 AM.
