
Kody Malstrom breaks down how the Miami Dolphins should approach Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft after they added the 1.30 pick in the Jaylen Waddle trade with the Broncos.

After signing Malik Willis, the Miami Dolphins have decided they are going to make life as hard as possible for him, gutting their wide receiver room by trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. In return, the Dolphins get the Broncos' first-round pick (1.30), giving them some much-needed draft capital to help accelerate their rebuild.
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Miami Dolphins
With a second first-round pick in their back pocket, the Dolphins now have some flexibility with how they can approach this year’s draft. Whether it is by targeting their team needs or bundling their picks to move up, Miami is in a great position to bolster their roster and give Willis the support he needs to succeed in his first year under center for the Dolphins.
Assuming Miami holds on to their first-round picks, below is a list of prospects I believe they should target with each spot. When it comes to building a range for each player, I use a wisdom of the crowds approach to help solidify my own beliefs, as well as factor in the betting markets as we inch closer to the start of the draft.
RELATED: 2026 NFL Draft Guide (Free!)
If you have followed along our trade fallout series, then you would know I am very against using an early first-round pick on a wide receiver. Even after the result of their recent trade, the Dolphins are better suited targeting their other positions of need instead of using it on Carnell Tate, who Matthew Freedman is skeptical of, or Jordyn Tyson, who is injury-prone.
Shifting their attention elsewhere, the Dolphins are in desperate need of bolstering their secondary, making Mansoor Delane a no-brainer at 1.11 if he is still available. A unanimous first-team All-Pro and one of the best players at his position, Delane would give the Dolphins some much-needed versatility as he can slot in at multiple positions on the back end.
When it comes to position of need, patching their offensive line may be their most pressing issue, fielding an interior that ranked comfortably dead last in True Pass Set Grade per PFF. Their inability to hold their ground resulted in a collapsed pocket, forcing Tua Tagovailoa and Quinn Ewers to constantly scramble away from pressure, lessening the quality of their throws.
To help patch their holes in the middle, the Dolphins can use their 1.11 pick on Penn State’s Olaivavega Ioane, a bully of a guard who is capable of holding his own in one-on-one assignments while creating space for his running backs to exploit. Gene Clemons' No. 1 offensive lineman in this year’s class, Ioane would give the Dolphins some stability in the trenches, opening up their offense with Willis dealing with less Havoc.
While I'm still hesitant on using a first-round pick on a wide receiver, it’s hard to ignore how awful the Dolphins' current group of pass catchers looks on paper. With the skill gap between the upper-tier receivers and back-end fliers as narrow as ever, using their 1.30 pick on K.C. Concepcion is at least more justifiable.
Ranked fourth in our Rookie Super Model, the Texas A&M wideout's skill set would give the Dolphins' pass attack a boost in production, as well as a dangerous punt returner who can flip the field in a flash. If Concepcion is gone before 1.30, then the Dolphins would be wise to target the position with their later picks, as the drop off production to the next batch of receivers is sizable.
After being labeled as a mid-first-round pick at the start of the offseason, Cashius Howell’s stock has started to plummet, with his EDP currently sitting at 28.7. That puts him in range with Miami at 1.30, giving their defensive line a bully at the edge who can help generate pressure in the backfield.



