Examining High-Risk, High-Reward Draft Prospects the Dolphins Might Consider

The value of the 2026 NFL draft for the Miami Dolphins may not be defined at picks number 11 or number 30 overall, but in what comes after.

As the franchise transitions into a new era built around Malik Willis and a reshaped roster on both sides of the ball, Miami enters this draft needing more than immediate contributors. They need high-end talent that can develop into foundational pieces.

And history shows just how important getting those picks right can be.

It’s still too early to fully evaluate players still on their rookie contracts but from the 2022 and 2023 draft classes only two selections remain on Miami’s current roster — De'Von Achane and Cameron Goode. The longer-term track record is even more telling.

From 2017 through 2021, Miami made 30 Day 2 and Day 3 selections. Just two of those players earned a second contract with the team: Liam Eichenberg, who recently was released after struggling to carve out a consistent role, and Jason Sanders, a seventh-round pick in 2018 who also was recently released. Missing at that rate in the middle rounds is a major reason Miami now finds itself in the midst of a full rebuild.

With that in mind, we took a look at several high-upside, non–Day 1 prospects in the 2026 class who come with risk, but could ultimately help Miami change that narrative.

DT Caleb Banks, Florida

If the Dolphins are looking for a high-upside defensive lineman to develop under Jeff Hafley, Banks is the type of Day 2 swing that makes sense, and a prototypical boom-or-bust prospect.

At 6-6, 330 pounds, he brings exactly what teams look for up front — length, power, and the ability to disrupt when everything clicks. His 2024 games against LSU and Ole Miss were the definition of upside. Over those two matchups, Banks racked up 14 quarterback pressures, moving in a way you just don’t expect from a lineman of his size.

As encouraging as those flashes are, they’ve been paired with concerns about his ability to stay on the field.

Banks missed most of the 2025 season with a foot injury that required surgery, and the issue lingered into the pre-draft process. After showing well at the Senior Bowl, he suffered another setback at the combine, fracturing a bone in his foot just before on-field testing. He still went through drills despite the injury before undergoing another procedure, with his recovery expected to extend into the summer.

QB Taylen Green, Arkansas

If the Dolphins are willing to take a swing at quarterback on Day 2 or 3, Green represents one of the most intriguing options in the class.

The upside is obvious and it showed up during the pre-draft process. At the combine, Green posted the fastest 40-yard dash among all quarterbacks, along with a 43.5-inch vertical and 11-foot-2 broad jump, finishing as the top overall athlete at the position. Those numbers reinforce what the tape already suggests: he’s an outlier athlete at quarterback. At 6-6 and 227 pounds, that combination of size and explosiveness is hard to find. It shows up on film as a long-striding runner who can create explosive plays outside the pocket and extend plays to find open receivers downfield.

He’s a true dual-threat quarterback who can generate offense with his legs while also keeping plays alive through improvisation. His unorthodox delivery will need refinement at the next level, which is why he’s viewed as a developmental project, but that type of skill set could pair well in a quarterback room with Willis.

There are also real concerns as a passer. He’s never completed more than 61 percent of his throws in a season, and his turnovers spiked during his senior year, raising questions about his consistency and decision-making.

DL Uar Bernard, No College

If Miami is serious about taking a true swing on upside, Bernard might be the most extreme example in this entire class — he’s never played a snap of organized football.

Bernard grew up in a village in Nigeria and later was selected to participate in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program, which is designed to give athletes from underrepresented countries a chance to develop under professional instruction. Over the past few years, he’s been learning the ins and outs of the sport while training with experienced coaches.

But what he lacks in experience, he makes up for with jaw-dropping physical tools.

At 6-4.5 and 306 pounds, he moves in a way that simply doesn’t make sense for his size.

His testing numbers are almost hard to believe. Bernard posted a 10-foot-10 broad jump, a 39-inch vertical, and ran a 4.63 40-yard dash — marks that easily would have led all defensive tackles at this year’s combine by a wide margin. He also earned a perfect 10.0 Relative Athletic Score (RAS), reinforcing just how rare his physical profile is.

The upside is unlike anything else in this class. For a late Day 3 pick, Miami could take a swing on unprecedented traits and see if there’s something to develop for the future.

QB Drew Allar, Penn State

At 6-5 and 235 pounds, Drew Allar looks like a quarterback built in a lab.

He makes high-level throws look easy, with the arm talent to drive the ball outside the numbers and layer passes into tight windows. There are flashes on tape where he’s making NFL-level throws on a routine basis, the kind that translate immediately to the next level.

But the consistency hasn’t always been there.

There are stretches on tape where routine throws are missed, and the offense struggles to stay on schedule. Some of that may point to Penn State’s lack of development, as the program underperformed in 2025, but it still shows up in his evaluation. Even with 35 college starts, there are still questions about his week-to-week reliability.

That’s what makes him intriguing at his expected value, likely available laet on the second day or early Day 3, where the upside is worth the gamble, even with the inconsistencies.

For a team building around Willis, Allar would offer a different style of quarterback, one who wins from the pocket with size and arm talent, but still requires development.

RB Seth McGowan, Kentucky

McGowan’s evaluation starts with his past and it’s something that will always be in the back of NFL front offices’ minds.

After a promising start at Oklahoma in 2020, his career was sidetracked following a 2021 legal incident that landed him in jail for three months.

McGowan had to rebuild his path through junior college and New Mexico State before resurfacing at Kentucky in 2025. That kind of history is something teams will have to be fully comfortable with before investing in him. He’ll also enter the league as a 24-year-old rookie, which only adds to the evaluation.

But on the field, the traits are intriguing.

McGowan is a smooth, powerful runner who can hit another gear in the open field and create chunk plays. That explosiveness showed up at the combine, where he posted a 42.5-inch vertical (second-best among running backs since 2007) and a 10-foot-11 broad jump, the top mark at the position this year. At 6-foot and 223 pounds with a 4.49 40-yard dash, he offers a rare blend of size and speed.

He’s also a capable receiving back and a willing pass protector, giving him a skill set that translates well to the modern NFL game.

There are still evaluation challenges due to limited recent production, making him more projection than proven commodity at this point. From a roster standpoint, the fit makes sense. De'Von Achane isn’t contractually secured long term and Jaylen Wright has yet to consistently carve out a role through two seasons. Adding another back with upside could give Miami needed depth and optionality moving forward.

One fact that must be pointed out here is that Kentucky's offensive coordinator in McGowan's one season there was Bush Hamdan, who just so happens to be the Dolphins' new quarterbacks coach.

TE Eli Raridon, Notre Dame

Raridon entered Notre Dame as one of the top tight end recruits in the 2022 class, ranked No. 57 overall and No. 2 at the position, but his career never got on track due to injuries. Before even arriving on campus, he tore his right ACL during a high school basketball game, and less than a year later, he suffered another tear in the same knee.

He was finally able to put together a fully healthy season, finishing his senior year with 32 catches for 482 yards. At the NFL combine, he made the most of it. At 6-6 and 245 pounds, Raridon tested well across the board, ranking fifth among tight ends in both the broad jump and 10-yard split, while posting a 9.66 RAS — 47th out of 1,356 tight ends since 1987.

When healthy, the traits are easy to see. He’s a long, fluid athlete who can stretch the field and create mismatches, particularly in the red zone. His size and movement skills give him real upside as a receiving threat at the next level.

But the concerns remain.

His injury history has slowed his development and limited his overall production, leaving teams to project what he could become rather than what he’s consistently shown.