The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in just under three weeks, bringing a new crop of college prospects into the league. The Miami Dolphins, who have kicked off a complete franchise rebuild this offseason, have two picks in the first round this year, giving them two of the first 32 selections.
As we inch closer to the start of the Draft, it is time to take a look back at the history of Miami’s two picks, their own 11th selection and the 30th pick they received when they traded wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos this offseason. We take a look at the most recent time the Dolphins held each of those selections as well as the last 10 years of picks made.
The last time the Dolphins selected…
11th overall: The team held the 11th pick in the 2018 Draft after finishing 6-10 the previous season, the second season of Adam Gase’s tenure as the head coach and Chris Grier’s second season as the general manager. They used the pick to add Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, picking up a piece that should have been a weapon for years, solidfying the back end of the Miami defense. They traded Fitzpatrick to the Pittsburgh Steelers during the 2019 season, however, as personality and position issues between the player and new head coach Brian Flores forced Miami into moving Fitzpatrick. In six seasons with the Steelers (counting 2019), Fitzpatrick was named to five Pro Bowls and was a First-Team All-Pro selection three times. He was traded back to the Dolphins in 2025, playing in 14 games for Miami last year before he was traded again this offseason, this time to the New York Jets.
30th overall: Miami acquired the 30th pick in the 2020 Draft through a series of trades. The team first acquired the 26th pick as part of the trade that sent tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Houston Texans, then traded that pick to the Green Bay Packers in a deal to move down. With the 30th pick, the Dolphins selected Auburn cornerback Noah Igbinoghene, making him the youngest player in the league at just 20 years old. The COVID-19 impacts to the offseason, training camp, and preseason likely hampered Igbinoghene’s adjustment to the speed of the NFL game and he never seemed to get his feet under him in Miami. After three seasons, appearing in 32 games with five starts, the Dolphins traded Igbingohene to the Dallas Cowboys, where he played five games. In 2024, after one season in Dallas, he signed as a free agent with the Washington Commanders, where he has spent the last two years before signing as a free agent this offseason with the Seattle Seahawks. Despite having played six seasons in the NFL, Igbinoghene is still only 26 years old and could still become an impactful player for the Seahawks.
10 years of picks:
11th Overall Pick
The 11th overall pick is most commonly used on offensive linemen, with defensive secondary and quarterbacks also seeing multiple picks made here. Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs’ 11th overall pick in 2017, is clearly the best pick in the group, with the Dolphins’ selection of Fitzpatrick the second-best pick.
2016: Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida – Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Chicago Bears)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2016-2019
- Houston Texans 2019-2021
- Cincinnati Bengals 2021
- 290 career tackles, 31 passes defensed, 4 interceptions (1 touchdown)
2017: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Texas Tech – Kansas City Chiefs (from Buffalo Bills)
- Kansas City Chiefs 2017-Present
- 35,939 career passing yards, 267 touchdowns, 85 interceptions, 66.2% completion, 100.8 passer rating
- Highest career passing yards per game average in NFL history (285.2)
- 3 x Super Bowl champion
- 3 x Super Bowl MVP
- 2 x NFL MVP
- 1 x NFL Offensive Player of the Year
- 2 x First-Team All-Pro
- 6 x Pro Bowl
- 1 x NFL passing yards leader
- 2 x NFL passing touchdown leader
2018: Minkah Fitzpatrick, S, Alabama – Miami Dolphins
- Miami Dolphins 2018-2019
- Pittsburgh Steelers 2019-2024
- Miami Dolphins 2025
- New York Jets 2026-Present
- 690 career tackles, 60 passes defensed, 21 interceptions (4 touchdowns)
- 3 x First-Team All-Pro
- 5 x Pro Bowl
- 1 x NFL interceptions leader
2019: Jonah Williams, OT, Alabama – Cincinnati Bengals
- Cincinnati Bengals 2019-2023
- Did not play 2019 due to injury
- Arizona Cardinals 2024-Present
- 74 games played (74 starts)
2020: Mekhi Becton, OT, Louisville – New York Jets
- New York Jets 2020-2023
- Did not play 2022 due to injury
- Philadelphia Eagles 2024
- Los Angeles Chargers 2025
- 1 x Super Bowl champion
2021: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State – Chicago Bears (from New York Giants)
- Chicago Bears 2021-2023
- Pittsburgh Steelers 2024
- New York Jets 2025
- Kansas City Chiefs 2026-Present
- 9,039 career passing yards, 52 touchdowns, 32 interceptions, 61.4% completions, 84.7 passer rating
- NFL record: Most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback
2022: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State – New Orleans Saints (from Washington Commanders)
- New Orleans Saints (2022-Present)
- 291 career receptions, 3,728 yards, 19 touchdowns
2023: Peter Skoronski, OT, Northwestern – Tennessee Titans
- Tennessee Titans 2023-Present
- 48 games played (48 starts)
2024: Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State – New York Jets (from Minnesota Vikings)
- New York Jets 2024-Present
- 32 games played (24 starts)
2025: Mykel Williams, DE, Georgia – San Francisco 49ers
- San Francisco 49ers 2025-Present
- 20 career tackles, 1 sack
30th Overall Pick (from Denver Broncos)
The Dolphins front office and coaching staff has to be looking at the history of the picks they hold and hoping they can match the 2017 Draft’s production from these two spots. After Mahome went to the Chiefs with the 11th selection, T.J. Watt was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 30th position. If Miami can pull off two picks like that, the rebuild will be fairly short. Cornerback is the most commonly selected position in the 30th spot over the past ten years, with five of the 10 selections focusing there – including the Dolphins’ pick of Igbinoghene. Including Watt as an edge rusher, defensive end/linebackers are the second-most selected position in this spot.
2016: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech – Carolina Panthers
- Carolina Panthers 2016-2019
- Buffalo Bills 2019-2021
- Las Vegas Raiders 2022 (preseason)
- New York Giants 2022-2023 (practice squad/preseason)
- 110 career tackles, 8 sacks, 3 passes defensed, 4 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries
Note: The New England Patriots forfeited what would have been the 29th pick in 2016 as part of the “Deflategate” investigation. The Arizona Cardinals were in the 30th pick position, selecting Robert Nkemdiche, DT, Ole Miss, with the selection if the Patriots had not been skipped.
2017: T.J. Watt, LB, Wisconsin – Pittsburgh Steelers
- Pittsburgh Steelers 2017-Present
- 517 career tackles, 115 sacks, 57 passes defensed, 9 interceptions, 36 forced fumbles, 14 fumble recoveries (1 touchdown)
- 3 x Deacon Jones Award winner (NFL sacks leader)
- 1 x Butkus Award winner (Best linebacker)
- 2 x NFL forced fumbles leader
- Active leader in career forced fumbles
- 1 x NFL Defensive Player of the Year
- 4 x First-Team All-Pro
- 8 x Pro Bowl
2018: Mike Hughes, CB, UCF – Minnesota Vikings
- Minnesota Vikings 2018-2020
- Kansas City Chiefs 2021
- Detroit Lions 2022
- Atlanta Falcons 2023-Present
- 316 career tackles, 34 passes defensed, 4 interceptions (1 touchdown), 7 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries (1 touchdown)
2019: Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia – New York Giants (from New Orleans Saints via Green Bay Packers via Seattle Seahawks)
- New York Giants 2019
- Kansas City Chiefs 2020-2021
- 82 career tackles, 1 sack, 10 passes defensed
2020: Noah Igbinoghene, CB, Auburn – Miami Dolphins (from Green Bay Packers)
- Miami Dolphins 2020-2022
- Dallas Cowboys 2023
- Washington Commanders 2024-2025
- Seattle Seahawks 2026-Present
- 119 tackles, 17 passes defensed, 1 interception, 2 fumble recoveries, 1 sack
2021: Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami – Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bills 2021-Present
- 159 career tackles, 32 sacks, 17 passes defensed, 1 interception, 7 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries
2022: George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue – Kansas City Chiefs
- Kansas City Chiefs 2022-Present
- 163 career tackles, 30.5 sacks, 17 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble, 3 fumble recoveries
- 2 x Super Bowl champion
2023: Nolan Smith, LB, Georgia – Philadelphia Eagles
- Philadelphia Eagles 2023-Present
- 91 career tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries
- 1 x Super Bowl champion
2024: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson – Baltimore Ravens
- Baltimore Ravens 2024-Present
- 109 tackles, 27 passes defensed, 4 interceptions (1 touchdown), 1 forced fumble
2025: Maxwell Hairston, CB, Kentucky – Buffalo Bills
- Buffalo Bills (2025-Present)
- 18 career tackles, 5 passes defensed, 2 interceptions
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