Dolphins bring in ball-hawking safety, well-rounded egde player. Details
There are no positions where the Dolphins might be more bereft of starting-caliber talent than edge and safety.
So it’s no surprise that Miami’s 30 permitted pre-draft prospect visits include players who could help at both spots.
Miami’s 30 visits include, among others, Missouri edge player Zion Young and LSU safety A.J. Haulcy, as Aryi Pullin as Ryan Fowler first reported.
Young is considered one of the most complete edge players in this draft. Pro Football Focus rated him the 11th-best run defender (one spot ahead of UM’s Rueben Bain) among 871 FBS edge players last season.
He made great strides as a pass rusher in 2025, producing 6.5 sacks and 56 pressures and boosting his pass rush win rate to 17%, which is very good. He also had 16.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles, and PFF overall rated him the 42nd best of 871 edge players.
Young has very good size (6-6, 250) and length (33-inch arms), and has the power and physicality to set the edge, allowing him to play in different fronts.
He would be an option for the Dolphins if they trade down a bit from No. 11. But it’s highly questionable if he will be there with Miami’s second first-round pick at No. 30.
Some draft analysts project him for the late teens or early to mid-20s. ESPN’s Field Yates mocks him 25th, noting that Young “has some versatility to [move to defensive tackle on passing downs] and rush effectively because his sturdy frame can withstand contact.”
Young spent his first two seasons at Michigan State, producing 2.5 sacks in 20 games. He had 2.5 sacks in 2024, his first of two seasons at Missouri, before blossoming last season.
“Young’s physical tools and rugged demeanor give him a chance to be an instant run-stopping upgrade with average rush,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said. “Young is a fiery alpha who brings immense energy to the field and locker room.”
As for Haulcy, he came to South Florida for something of a job interview last April, when he visited UM’s campus before choosing LSU over the Canes in college football free agency.
This time around, he needs to impress the Dolphins more than they need to impress him.
Haulcy, 6-0 and 215 pounds, is considered a late second-rounder or a third-round pick. He would likely be in play if he’s available when Miami picks four times in the third round (75, 87, 90, 94).
“He can really anticipate from the middle of the field,” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said. “Against Florida, had a big-time interception doing that. You watch the A&M game; you see him reading the quarterback’s eyes; he had a nice pick in the end zone. The [4.54 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine] is good for him at that size, a solid time for him.”
Haulcy had two interceptions as a freshman at New Mexico before transferring to Houston, where he was steady in 2023 and had five interceptions in 2024. He then moved onto LSU, where he had 88 tackles, three interceptions and a forced fumble last season.
Zierlein said Haulcy is “a throwback safety with a compact, densely muscled frame and a pro feel for reading the field. He’s a rare blend of ballhawk and enforcer who can scurry into passing lanes for takeaways or run through a receiver to break up a pass. His pattern recognition and instincts are top-notch, and he’s decisive in his reactions.
“A lack of sustained top-end speed could create mismatches in man coverage... He projects as a good NFL starter in a zone-heavy scheme.”
The Dolphins have only five safeties under contract: second-year player Dante Trader Jr., veteran journeyman Lonnie Johnson, special teams ace Zayne Anderson (who has two career starts on defense) and developmental players Jordan Colbert and Omar Brown.
They have five veteran edge players on the roster — Chop Robinson, Josh Uche, David Ojabo, Cam Goode and Robert Beal — but none of the five has been a multiyear full-time starter.
This story was originally published March 30, 2026 at 9:21 AM.
