What to Make of the Dolphins Being Big Fans of Fano Report

An ESPN draft analyst believes the Dolphins clearly are favoring a Utah offensive lineman, but there are some questions to address

Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins could go in a lot of different directions with the 11th overall selection in the 2026 NFL draft, but they apparently have a clear favorite in mind.

At least that's according to ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid, who picked the Dolphins as the team with his most certain first-round pick outside of highly anticipated top overall selection Fernando Mendoza.

"Sources have told me the Dolphins are big fans of Utah lineman Spencer Fano and would take him at No. 11," Reid wrote. "The team loves his versatility, believing he can play any interior spot or be a plug-and-play starter at right tackle. Austin Jackson is entering a contract year, and there are a lot of question marks surrounding his durability. New front offices have leaned on selecting an offensive lineman to start their tenure, so this pairing makes a lot of sense."

ANALYZING THE IDEA OF ADDING FANO

Selecting an offensive lineman at number 11 obviously would address a key need for the Dolphins and the idea of a player who can play either guard or tackle has ever more merit.

Where Fano ranks among offensive line prospects in this draft probably is a matter of taste because some prefer tackle Francis Mauigoa from the University of Miami and others like Penn State guard Oliveavega Ioane.

From this perspective, taking a guard-only prospect at 11 is a bit pricey because of positional value, meaning the impact a guard can have a team on a regular basis as opposed to a pass rusher, cornerback, a playmaking linebacker or, obviously, a quarterback.

This would eliminate, at least from here, the idea of Ioane and lead us to question the validity of taking Fano at 11 because while maybe he could play tackle in the NFL, his best projection clearly is at guard.

Lost in all the noise about Rueben Bain Jr.'s short arms, Fano also came up at a much shorter than ideal length when he was measured at the combine, though a correction was made (or damage control was done) when he was measured again at his Pro Day.

The scouting report on Fano highlights great athletic ability and mobility, which does make him a great fit for the wide zone scheme the Dolphins use, but it's the shorter arms that makes it less than certain he could be a quality tackle in the NFL.

And the Dolphins can't afford to swing and miss at number 11 given where the organization stands right now.

So we'd have to say that adding Fano as the 11th overall selection certainly wouldn't be our top choice.

If the Dolphins are to take an offensive lineman at 11, it says here the choice would have to be Mauigoa, who isn't nearly as mobile as Fano but looks like a better projection to right tackle.

And it could be that the best choices overall are on defense, whether it be LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane or Ohio State safety Caleb Downs — assuming either is available.