Examining a Potential Clue for Dolphins Top Pick

With the Miami Dolphins having so many needs on their rebuilding roster, there are a lot of ways they could go with their top pick in the 2026 NFL draft, currently scheduled to be the 11th overall.

As with everything NFL draft, every analyst or so-called or self-proclaimed expert has an opinion as to what the Dolphins should or will do with that top pick with good reasons behind it, whether it be building from the inside out, getting new quarterback Malik Willis some playmakers or helping a dire cornerback situation, among others.

Let's call it the new head coach factor.

And at least when it comes to the Dolphins, it's real.

NEW DOLPHINS HEAD COACHES AND THE DRAFT

When he was hired in January, Jeff Hafley became the 10th Dolphins head coach (not counting interims) since Don Shula's legendary career ended 30 years ago.

And what the first nine had in common was that the first draft pick of their tenure was a player from the side of the ball they previously coached.

And with Hafley having come to the Dolphins after being the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, that 11th pick will be spent on a defensive player.

The precedent is hitting at a 90 percent clip, as we run down that list of Miami head coaches.

It starts in 1996 when Jimmy Johnson replaced Shula with a background as a defensive coach before he became a head coach in college and with the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins' first pick in 1996 was defensive tackle Daryl Gardener.

Dave Wannstedt was promoted from defensive coordinator to replace Johnson in 2000 and the Dolphins didn't have a first-round pick that year because they had traded in 1998 for a second-round pick in that draft to select cornerback Patrick Surtain.

In 2007, Cam Cameron was hired after being offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers and the Dolphins' first pick was wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr.

The next year, the Dolphins replaced Cameron with Tony Sparano after he had been O-line coach for the Dallas Cowboys and, sure enough, the first overall pick was spent on tackle Jake Long.

Same with Joe Philbin in 2012 when he came over from Green Bay where he was offensive coordinator and the first pick was used on QB Ryan Tannehill.

With former Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase taking over in 2016, the first Dolphins pick was used on tackle Laremy Tunsil.

In 2019, it was defensive tackle Christian Wilkins as the Miami top pick after the team hired longtime New England Patriots defensive assistant Brian Flores as head coach.

Finally, the Dolphins didn't have a first-round pick in 2022 two months after hiring 49ers OC Mike McDaniel as their new head coach — because they traded it to the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire wide receiver Tyreek Hill.

You might have noticed we left out Nick Saban, who was Dolphins head coach in 2005-06, and that's because he's been the one exception to the rule.

Saban was a defensive assistant before he became a head coach at Michigan State and LSU, but Miami's top pick in that 2005 draft was running back Ronnie Brown as the second overall selection.

WHAT THIS COULD MEAN

Of course, just because the Dolphins have almost invariably selected as their top pick a player on the side of the ball most familiar to their new head coach doesn't mean it will happen again in 2026, but there are some very good options if they do it again.

While the Dolphins certainly could select an offensive lineman with that 11th overall selection, there are high-end defensive prospects who could be available to start implementing Hafley's vision for his defense.

Those prospects would include safety Caleb Downs, edge defender Rueben Bain Jr., linebacker Sonny Styles and cornerbacks Mansoor Delane and Jermod McCoy.