New Mock Draft Has (Not One, But) Two Interesting Twists for Dolphins

New mock drafts are popping and the latest one from NFL.com was a three-round effort that featured a couple of interesting twists involving the Miami Dolphins.

This mock draft was produced by draft analyst Chad Reuter, who had Miami making a trade in the first round and then taking a quarterback in Round 3.

THE DOLPHINS TRADE DOWN IN MOCK FIRST ROUND

In his mock, Reuter had the Dolphins trading the 13th overall pick to the Houston Texans along with a fourth-round selection for the 25th overall pick and picks in the second and third rounds.

With that 25th pick, the Dolphins would take Alabama linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

While we like the value the trade offers, we're not sure about taking a linebacker in the first round because the focus should be on the trenches, whether it be the offensive or defensive line.

The last time the Dolphins traded down in the first round was 2021 when they had the third overall pick — the result of the Laremy Tunsil trade of 2019 — to the San Francisco 49ers for the 12th pick, two future first-round picks and a third-round selection. The Dolphins, of course, then moved up from 12th to sixth in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles to select wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

In the second round of Reuter's mock, following the trade-down, the Dolphins would select Texas DT Alfred Collins and South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori.

THE QUARTERBACK SELECTION IN THE MOCK

In the third round, Reuter had the Dolphins taking two offensive players, Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel and Virginia Tech WR Jaylin Lane (to join Jaylen Waddle, Jalen Ramsey, Jaelan Phillips and Jaylen Wright).

The Gabriel mock pick is an interesting one because of the similarities to Tua Tagovailoa, starting with the fact they're both undersized left-handed quarterbacks from Hawaii. Their playing styles and skill sets also are very similar.

Gabriel helped Oregon produce the best season in college football in 2024, though the Ducks lost in their first playoff game against Ohio State. It was his sixth college season after spending three years at Central Florida and two at Oklahoma.

Gabriel is an older prospect, having turned 24 in late December and he's obviously got loads of starting experience, which would help with the NFL transition.

If the Dolphins ever were to consider that move, we'd strong advocate for the presence of a veteran to serve as the backup to Tua in 2025 at least.

THE DOLPHINS' 2025 DRAFT PICKS

The Dolphins finished as one of four teams with an 8-9 record in the regular season, but their league-lowest .417 opponent combined winning percentage put them at the top of those four teams and 13th overall in the first round.

The Dolphins finished with the same record as the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals and Atlanta Falcons and will rotate between 13th and 16th in every round, with the teams moving in a forward direction.

That means the Dolphins will go from 13th in the first round, to 16th in the second (because they can't go higher than 13th and have to return to the back of that line), to 15th in the third ... and so forth.

The Dolphins currently are slated to have seven picks in the 2025 draft, plus the expected three compensatory picks that should include a third-round selection for the loss of Robert Hunt and possibly a fourth for the loss of Wilkins. The compensatory picks likely will be announced in March.