New Name, New Position Emerge for Dolphins in Mock Draft

The Miami Dolphins were projected to go with a new University of Georgia defender in the latest mock draft from NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Jalon Walker (11) reacts against the Texas Longhorns during the first half in the 2024 SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Offensive linemen have been the most popular choice for the Miami Dolphins in the early mock drafts of 2025, with a safety or defensive lineman thrown in for good measure, but we've now got a new position that's been projected.

It comes from NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein's first mock of the year, and he projects the Dolphins to selected linebacker Jalon Walker from Georgia with the 13th overall selection.

If Zierlein is proven right, this would mark the second consecutive year the Dolphins would select a linebacker in the first round, following Chop Robinson with the 21st overall pick in 2024. But Walker has a bit different of a skill set than Robinson as more of an all-around linebacker as opposed to more of a pass rusher.

"Walker can play off-ball linebacker on run downs and then blitz or come off the edge as a rusher in passing situations," Zierlein wrote. "His toughness and versatility would fill big needs in Miami."

The Dolphins have three linebackers from the 2024 team scheduled to become unrestricted free agents March 12 — Tyrel Dodson, Anthony Walker Jr. and Duke Riley — so they definitely could be in a position to have a clear need at the position.

In his NFL.com draft profile, Walker's NFL comparison is former University of Georgie pass rusher Nolan Smith, a first-round pick of the Eagles in 2023 who had a very quiet rookie season but has four sacks in three playoff games this year.

"Some see Walker as a 'tweener' while others view him as a 'hybrid," Zierlein wrote in Walker's draft profile. "Either way, Walker can go. His career snap count is split between edge and linebacker, and his leadership is famous in the Georgia building. He’s still working to fine-tune his instincts and efficiency as an off-ball linebacker but has the take-on and closing burst to become a productive pro at that spot. He’s tough but small as an early down edge rusher, but his athletic talent and suddenness to attack both edges makes him a menace for tackles. The most valuable usage for Walker is likely to come as an early down linebacker who can rush off the edge or match up across the line as a blitzer on passing downs."

Other mocks have projected the Dolphins taking Texas offensive lineman Kelvin Banks Jr., Alabama O-lineman Tyler Booker and Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the first round, with a two-round mock by ESPN's Matt Miller had the Dolphins taking defensive lineman T.J. Sanders of South Carolina in the second round.

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.