Prospects reportedly moving in or out of Dolphins range at No. 11; Fins QB news
A six-pack of Dolphins notes on a Wednesday:
▪ There are always draft “risers” after the Combine, at least in the eyes of national pundits and evaluators.
And if you believe such things (and I’m always a bit skeptical), there are now several players who are projected for Miami’s first-round draft range at 11 and others who purportedly have exited their range by moving up or down.
Among those who are now forecast by national draftniks for the ballpark of 11:
1). Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling. He was a left tackle last season but played 184 snaps at right tackle in 2024, demonstrating an ability to switch sides if needed. He would play right tackle if Miami takes him at 11.
Longtime draft analyst Dane Brugler mocked Freeling to Miami in a piece for The Athletic, offering this assessment: “Over the last few months, I’ve been pushing Freeling as an ascending prospect with talent worth an early pick investment. His Combine performance was uneven (NFL scout: “His testing was good. His positional workout wasn’t good at all.”). But a 1.71-second 10-yard split in the 40 at his size is impressive.
“Freeling would be a great building block for a new general manager, Jon-Eric Sullivan, looking to revamp the roster.”
Freeling also has suddenly cracked the top six of mock drafts for multiple ESPN analysts, which is curious timing in light of the mixed Combine feedback in Brugler’s column.
2). Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell: Brugler has him moving up to 13, in part because “several scouts singled [him] out as having the top cornerback workout at the combine” and in part because “he makes plays against both the pass and run.”
3). Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. His 4.39 in the 40-yard dash was the fastest ever for a tight end at the Combine, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said he could see him now going as high as ninth. Brugler, who mocks him 15th, noted “he’s been TE-1 in this class from the summer until now, and his freaky Combine performance was the cherry on top.”
There’s no other tight end in this draft who is widely projected to be a Pro Bowl caliber player.
LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane and UM right tackle Francis Mauigoa (who could be gone by 11) have been two popular mock draft picks for Miami in recent weeks.
▪ Among players who previously were mocked to Miami and are now being projected to be drafted later: Auburn edge player Keldric Faulk, Arizona State receiver Jordyn Tyson and Tennessee cornerback Jermon McCoy, who missed all of last season with an ACL injury and did not run at the Combine despite questions about his health.
Two players who were often mocked to Miami in January — Ohio State teammates Caleb Downs and Sonny Styles - are now almost unanimously projected to be off the board before Miami’s pick at 11.
▪ While it would be a mild surprise if the Dolphins take a defensive tackle at 11, I wouldn’t rule anything out because Sullivan didn’t draft Kenneth Grant (Chris Grier did) and I believe he’s going to take the best player on his draft board, regardless of position, unless he trades down or unless Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love is shockingly on the board.
This is worth mentioning because of something notable that Kiper said this week about Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods, a very talented player who regressed in production from 2024 to 2025.
“My friends in the NFL — they were laughing at late first round [projections],” Kiper said. “They said he’s going to go top 10 to 15, certainly top 20. I didn’t put him up as high as I could have based on conversations I had. What did I hear? The next couple of months will be very good for Peter Woods.
“He’s athletically gifted, fast, quick, explosive, powerful, strong. Physically, what is he lacking? What’s going to hold him back in the NFL from being a 3 technique or outside [end/tackle], where they played him at Clemson?”
▪ If the Dolphins trade down a bit from 11, it appears they will have a choice of several skilled edge players, including Faulk, UM’s Akheem Mesidor and Missouri’s Zion Young.
“Based on [my] conversations, Young is way up there,” Kiper said. “There are some who think he could higher than this at 17. He’s an unblockable guy.”
▪ As we noted Tuesday, the Dolphins indeed have interest in Packers free agent quarterback Malik Willis, but not if the bidding gets crazy.
On X this week, former two-time MVP quarterback Kurt Warner said: “Took a break from draft prep to dive into Malik Willis tape over last couple of years, being that he is one of hottest names as we head into Free Agency!
“My conclusion is that there [are] really 28 dropbacks (I took out screens, quick pick-n-stick throws at 5 yrds & quick scrambles) over last 2 years that will determine his future! That is crazy to think about if we are talking $25-30mil/year!”
▪ Per NFL Network, the Jets are among the teams doing research on Tua Tagovailoa, who is widely expected to be cut by the Dolphins. He’s 8-0 with a 101 career passer rating against the Jets. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said Miami “probably” will release him by next Wednesday, with a post-June 1 designation.
That designation means his Dolphins 2026 dead money cap hit would be $67.4 million, compared to $99.2 million if he’s cut without that designation and $56.2 million if he’s not cut at all.
Here are links to my five-part Dolphins-flavored free agent series on cornerbacks, quarterbacks, edge players, safeties and wide receivers.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 3:19 PM.
