What to Know About the 11th Overall Pick

The Miami Dolphins will be picking 11th in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft — at least the way things stood on the morning of April 4.

Things could change over the next 19 days, whether it be with Miami moving up in the first round or moving down, or trading out of the first round entirely.

But assuming they stay put, what can we expect the Dolphins to do with that selection based on historical evidence, having already examined the Green Bay Packers tendency that new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan might or might not have brought with him.

THE RECENT HISTORY OF THE NUMBER 11 PICK

There clearly has been a trend with the 11th overall pick recently, and that trend is to go big.

Over the past 17 drafts, starting with the 2009 proceedings, the number 11 selection has been used on an offensive or defensive linemen a whopping 11 times — or 64.7 percent.

And if it's not a lineman, then the choice has been a defensive back, including the Dolphins' selection of Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick at that spot in 2018.

Fitzpatrick wrapped up a streak of four consecutive years where the 11th pick was used on a DB, with CB Trae Waynes, CB Vernon Hargreaves and CB Marshon Lattimore preceding him.

For those wondering, the other two selections at 11 since 2009 not spent on a lineman or defensive back were used on QB Justin Fields by the Chicago Bears in 2021 and WR Chris Olave by the New Orleans Saints the following year.

The predominant position specifically has been tackle, with seven selections in those past 19 drafts: Anthony Davis by the 49ers in 2010, D.J. Fluker by the Chargers in 2013, Taylor Lewan by the Titans in 2014, Jonah Williams by the Bengals in 2019, Mekhi Becton by the Jets in 2020 and Olu Fashanu by the Jets in 2024.

If Pro Bowls are the gauge — and they are less and less every year — the 11th overall pick hasn't delivered very much lately.

The last player picked at that spot to be selected to at least one Pro Bowl was Fitzpatrick, who earned the nod five times during his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

THE DOLPHINS HISTORY AT 11

The Dolphins have made the 11th overall selection only twice in their history, but they're batting 2-for-2 — that Fitzpatrick achieved his success with Pittsburgh doesn't change the fact it was a good pick.

The other Dolphins selection at 11 came all the way back in 1969, and it was used on defensive end Bill Stanfill.

And while he probably hasn't gotten the attention over the years that fellow teammates on the No-Name Defense like Nick Buoniconti, Dick Anderson and Manny Fernandez received, Stanfill was a huge part of Miami's Super Bowl streak of the 1970s.

Stanfill finished with 10 sacks when the Dolphins had their perfect season in 1972 and followed that up with 18.5 sacks in 1973, a team record that stood until Jason Taylor tied it in 2002 — even though sacks didn't become an official stat until 1982.

Regardless of position, the Dolphins gladly would settle for any prospect who could deliver any semblance of the kind of success enjoyed by their prior two 11th overall selections.