Breaking Down Potential Styles vs. Downs Dilemma for Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are in desperate need of blue-chip talent, especially on defense.

While the 2026 NFL draft isn’t regarded as an overly strong class overall, there are a lot of talented defensive prospects. Perhaps the two most talented are Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and safety Caleb Downs.

There’s just one problem. In a lot of mock drafts, those players tend to go in the top 10, before Miami can pick at 11. However, The Athletic’s Mike Sando recently asked four NFL personnel executives to guess the draft’s top 10 picks.

Neither Styles or Downs made the cut, meaning they’d be available to the Dolphins in this hypothetical. What should the Dolphins do if this scenario becomes real life?

Should Miami Take Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles?

The short answer is yes. The Dolphins would be getting one player who many draft analysts (this one included) have ranked inside the top five with the 11th overall pick.

That early in the draft, it’s hard to get a better steal than that. Aside from their talent being worth it, both players could radically change Miami’s defense in the long-term.

We’ve written about Downs’ potential impact before, but with Jeff Hafley now calling the shots, an elite safety becomes even more valuable. Hafley loves to move his safeties around, and with Minkah Fitzpatrick likely out the door, Miami doesn’t have a player with the right blend of versatility.

Styles fit isn’t as obvious on paper. Jordyn Brooks is an All-Pro, and Tyrel Dodson is a fine enough starter, especially considering he’s on an affordable deal. That said, drafting Styles would be a BPA approach and redefine Miami’s identity.

Pairing one of the most athletic and polished linebacker prospects in recent memory with an All-Pro like Brooks would give the Dolphins one of the most physical and potentially productive second levels in the sport.

Styles’ combine included a 4.35 40-yard dash, a 43.5-inch vertical jump, and an 11-foot-2 broad jump. Those numbers are bonkers good, and all of them show up on tape.

When new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was in Green Bay, the team wasn’t afraid to use high-value draft capital on linebackers. The team spent top-50 picks on Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper — two players critical to Hafley’s defense success.

Neither player fits the traditional “positional value” mold, but sometimes a player is so talented that you can’t pass on them.

Is Styles or Downs the Better Pick for Miami?

This is where things get more complicated. It’s easy to say Miami should draft one of them, but the team would have to make a choice between the two in the scenario laid out by The Athletic.

We’ve leaned toward Downs being the better selection for Miami throughout the process because the Dolphins’ need at safety is more dire than at linebacker.

As we mentioned above, Brooks and Dodson are a perfectly fine linebacker duo. At safety, Miami really only has Dante Trader Jr. from last year’s team (assuming Fitzpatrick is traded).

However, we know that when Sullivan was in Green Bay, the Packers put a lot of emphasis on size and athletic ability. Styles had elite testing at 6-5, 244 pounds with 32-inch arms.

There might not be a better combination of athleticism and size in the entire 2026 class. It’s not hard to imagine Sullivan and Hafley preferring a player like Styles over Downs, who measured in at 6 feet, 205 pounds and isn’t regarded as a top-tier athlete.