Jordan Reid of ESPN.com released his final 7-round mock draft, and he has the Miami Dolphins filling all of their need positions with their draft picks.
Round 1, Pick #13: Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
“Even prior to the Dolphins actively exploring trade options for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the team had a major hole at the position. Barron is capable of playing on the perimeter or inside. He logged 300-plus career snaps at all four cornerback spots (right, left, slot and wide), which shows alignment versatility unmatched by any other corner in this class. The Dolphins’ 16 takeaways ranked 27th in the NFL last season, and Barron is a standout turnover generator with a career-high five interceptions in 2024.”
Jahdae Barron NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Big nickelback was in the right place at the right time throughout his impressive 2024 season. Barron played smothering coverage underneath, fueled by route recognition, footwork and play strength. His instincts allow him to pounce on catch points or tackle pass catchers immediately from zone. However, he lacks recovery speed deep and can be a little too grabby at the top of the route in man. Tackle technique in run support is a shade inconsistent but looks easily correctable. The size and tape work in his favor as a physical nickel who can be an early contributor and future starter, with the potential to cross-train as a safety.
Strengths
- Above-average size and strength as a “big nickel” corner.
- Able to forcefully redirect routes over the first 5 yards.
- Has plus awareness and instincts to make timely responses from zone.
- Ran receiver’s routes for them like he knew the play in 2024.
- Claws, slaps and punches to beat up the catch point.
- Swarms in after catch with good angles and physical strikes.
- Under control and slides his feet to tackle in the open field.
Weaknesses
- Limited exposure in man coverage.
- Might not have the top-end speed to carry verticals solo.
- Average lateral transitions and recovery bust when beaten.
- Needs to run through and wrap up more frequently.
- Short arms could impact ball production and tackle success.
Round 2, Pick #48: Jonah Savaiinaea, G, Arizona
“Offensive line is a top need after Terron Armstead‘s retirement. Savaiinaea is a wide-bodied blocker with experience at guard and right tackle, though he projects best at guard in the NFL. Savaiinaea didn’t allow a sack in the final 669 pass-blocking snaps of his college career.”
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Durable three-year starter who is built like a right guard but has valuable protection experience as a collegiate tackle. Savaiinaea doesn’t have the athleticism to stick at right tackle in the NFL, but can play there in a pinch with some help. He’s very wide and can engulf smaller opponents as a base blocker while sealing off double teams and down blocks. His feet often deaden on contact, creating opportunities for defenders to leak through his edges in both the run and pass games. Savaiinaea’s size works to his advantage and he could become a serviceable starting guard in time.
Strengths
- Dense frame with excellent thickness through limbs.
- Patient with hands but fires them with timing and accuracy.
- Uses posture and core to control rushers once he’s locked in.
- Space-eating frame will be tough to beat quickly inside.
- Able to shove angle blocks around with upper-body strength.
- Does a nice job of finding and fitting up second-level targets.
Weaknesses
- Has trouble sitting heavy and anchoring against bull-rushers.
- Below-average recognition and response to twists.
- Doesn’t bend and slide well enough to protect his inside edge.
- Lacks leverage and hand placement as a drive blocker.
- Falls off of base blocks due to inconsistent body control.
Round 3, Pick #98: Deone Walker, DT, Kentucky
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
A defensive lineman with rare traits, Walker might require a heavier lean on projection over tape. He’s tight-hipped and too upright to really sink in and command the gaps as an even-front defensive tackle. His success rate rises once he’s able to kick out wider in the alignment and engage in more man-to-man battles. Consistent pocket pressure could come if he starts playing with better aggression to overwhelm protection with physical gifts. The tape was better in 2023 and there were times in 2024 that his conditioning showed up as an issue. Walker’s traits and upside could make him a more consistent NFL talent if he improves his technique and ramps up his motor.
Strengths
- Enormous human with elite size and length.
- Can overwhelm opponents with physical traits.
- Uses length and athleticism to play off blocks and slide laterally.
- Firm edge-setter when bumped out to five-technique.
- Pries open pathways to the pocket when finding proper arm extension.
- Athletic feet create rush opportunities across the gaps.
- Expect uptick in pocket pressures with development of more go-to moves.
Weaknesses
- High center of gravity makes anchoring and leveraging gaps an issue.
- Inconsistent technique to absorb and battle blocks on his edge.
- Has trouble staying on balance and on his feet at times.
- Subpar conditioning leads to his motor gassing out.
- Below-average leg bend limits power potential as bull-rusher.
- Could use more consistent grit in his play demeanor.
Round 4, Pick #116: Lathan Ransom, S, Ohio St
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Ransom is an experienced starter and natural strong safety with adequate size, all-day toughness and a proactive approach at the position. He plays with decisive eyes and good instincts that place him where he needs to be. He flows hard and fast. He’s a physical striker in run support and as an intimidator over the middle. Ransom is at his best playing downhill but can handle split safety duties. He might not have the coverage burst or top-end speed for some individual matchups but does a nice job of sticking to tight ends in man coverage. In total, he’s a disruptive, physical safety who can positively impact games and has future starting potential as a middle-rounder.
Strengths
- Plays with good eye balance and instincts.
- Strong and fairly sticky covering tight ends.
- Cleans up the yard against any pass catchers coming over the middle.
- Swift read-and-trigger to rush downhill and mix it up in run support.
- Strikes climbing blocks and ball-carriers with the same force.
- Uses a “peanut punch” to jar the ball loose from ball-carriers.
- Built for special teams and blocked two punts in 2022.
Weaknesses
- Below-average burst to match route breaks and stay tight to the target.
- Could struggle with vertical receivers when isolated as high safety.
- Face-guards downfield instead of locating the football.
- Straight-line pursuit angles limit ability to adjust on the fly.
- Needs to come to balance quicker as an open-field tackler.
- Missed tackle total is a little higher than teams might like.
Round 4, Pick #135: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Ewers’ arm talent and game flashes are enticing, but he hasn’t learned to play the game with a high enough level of consistency. The tape of road wins over Alabama and Michigan over the last two seasons showed the clearest picture of Ewers’ ceiling. He spins it with a sudden release and good touch over the first two levels and makes it look easy when he finds a rhythm. He won a high percentage of his career starts but struggled to put points on the board in most big games in 2024. Ewers rarely operates as a smooth, full-field reader. He often predetermines his target and throws into coverage instead of taking what the defense is offering. A lack of escapability will require him to process quickly enough to stay ahead of NFL blitz packages. The raw talent and upside will be alluring for pro-style passing attacks, but it’s fair to wonder if he will ever be able to rise above the talent on his roster and the ability of his play-caller to create favorable terms.
Strengths
- Displays willingness to go out and compete through pain.
- Performances in road games at Alabama (2023) and Michigan (2024) stand out.
- Makes it look easy when he’s working in rhythm.
- Arm talent to make trick-shot throws from a variety of angles.
- Gets the ball out in a hurry with just the flick of his wrist.
- Showed good pocket mobility to slide and deliver in 2023.
- Has games where footwork is clean and delivery is sharp.
- Capable of making touch throws from off-platform.
- Throws with consistent accuracy on boot-action rollouts.
Weaknesses
- Can be fooled from pre-snap to post-snap looks by defense.
- Needs better eye manipulation to hold safeties and linebackers.
- Gets stuck on first read, regardless of coverage.
- Stares at primary receivers and will throw them into collisions.
- Lazy footwork forces receivers to break stride to make the catch.
- Will throw late and put too much air under some downfield throws.
- Must improve his feel and response to edge pressure.
Round 5, Pick #150: Dylan Fairchild, G/C, Georgia
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Two-year starter who will offer more with his pass protection than his run blocking. Fairchild plays with quick hands and adequate athleticism as a move blocker. He’s big but struggles to push opponents and sustain blocks at the point of attack and wasn’t enough of a difference-maker for the run game. He’s steady in protection with decent range and active hands. He’s athletic enough to recover against counters but could have issues when matched against a good bull rush. Fairchild could go in the middle rounds and eventually become a starter.
Strengths
- Good size, proportional frame and adequate length.
- Gets into blocks with quick, inside hands.
- Good lateral acceleration on move blocks.
- Passes off twisters with forceful shove.
- Adequate foot quickness to recover versus rush counters.
- Resets protection hands quickly when needed.
Weaknesses
- Below-average core strength and contact balance.
- Struggles to generate movement as a drive blocker.
- Needs to secure first block with better pop on combos.
- Below-average timing and footwork up to the second level.
- Allows bull rushers access into his frame.
Round 5, Pick #155: Jay Toia, DT, UCLA
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Three-year starter with the build and mentality to play nose tackle in odd or even fronts. Toia carries a girthy base and is heavy into first contact. He has the power to give good resistance against all forms of blocks that come his way but a lack of length makes him more of a space eater than a block beater. He pummels single-block protection with violent club moves for sporadic pressures but is unlikely to get home. He’ll need to improve his block recognition and fine-tune his take-on to be his best version of a two-down run defender.
Strengths
- Brings nose tackle thickness to the field.
- Good aggression and effort level on each snap.
- Battles double-teams with a wide base and strong back leg.
- Drive power to penetrate the line versus finesse blocks.
- Opens rush edge with violent slaps and club moves.
Weaknesses
- Average hand quickness getting into first contact.
- Lack of length allows blocks to crowd his chest.
- Could struggle with shed quickness as an NFL two-gapper.
- Unlikely to maintain gap integrity against stretch plays.
- Tethered to his starting point, limiting his production.
Round 7, Pick #224: Jabbar Muhammad, CB, Oregon
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Three-year starter with each of the three seasons coming at different schools. Muhammad is on the small side as a perimeter cornerback. He’s much better in press and run technique than mirroring and matching the release. His footwork and body control are average in space, but he has some burst that, along with his ball skills, create a higher number of contested throws. That said, Muhammad might not have the cover tools and functional run support to make an NFL roster as a backup nickelback.
Strengths
- Posted 40 career pass breakups, including 28 over the last two seasons.
- Takes away receiver’s inside leverage with foot slide.
- Finds positioning downfield and turns head to locate the ball.
- Searches for pathways to attack the passing lane.
- Uses well-timed hand attacks to swat away throws at the last second.
Weaknesses
- Lacks length by NFL standards.
- Segmented backpedal leads to bumpy transitions.
- Too eager to declare hips to subtle route manipulations.
- Inconsistent reading route combinations from zone.
- Technique as a tackler will need some work.
Round 7, Pick #231: Johnny Walker Jr, Edge Missouri
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Walker won’t mix it up at the point of attack with an abundance of aggression, but his flashes as a pass rusher give evaluators something to think about. He’s long-limbed with an adequate frame and works hard to keep his weight up. He can accelerate to the top and trim the edge with his flexibility. He’s smart in working back under and into the pocket when the tackle has the edge cut off. Walker has proven he can produce pressures and sacks, but he needs to be more diversified and skilled to earn a spot as a designated pass rusher in the pros.
Strengths
- Long-limbed and productive, with 14.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
- Burst and stride to quickly execute rush charge.
- Able to bend and flatten or rip and run at the edge.
- Attacks to pocket depth before working back under.
- Uses length to stay separated from blockers.
Weaknesses
- Lacks point-of-attack grit to offer enough resistance.
- Below-average awareness diagnosing the run.
- Loses his contain positioning too easily.
- Below-average rush diversity and rushes to contact too often.
- Bull-rush is stopped cold by tackles with adequate anchor.
Round 7, Pick #253: Branson Taylor, OT, Pittsburgh
NFL.com Draft Profile
Overview
Physical two-year starter with the girth and power for consideration as both a tackle and guard. Taylor generates an impressive jolt as a run blocker, frequently winning the battle for space and pushing people against their will. He has average foot quickness and struggles to redirect defenders who get on his edges. He has shorter arms, with pass sets that are vulnerable to speed outside and counters inside. A move to guard could clear up those issues and give him a chance to fight for playing time in a power-based running scheme.
Strengths
- Sets out aggressively on top of defensive ends to stall their rush plan.
- Extends and locks out his inside hand for early contact and control.
- Shows ability to brace and anchor against power rushers.
- Lands and maintains hands inside defender’s frame in run game.
- Leg drive to create vertical push on base blocks and double teams.
- Adequate athleticism and timing to work up and connect on the second level.
Weaknesses
- Does too much galloping and over-setting in protection.
- Opens and rotates hips prematurely at the top of the rush.
- Forward lean softens outside edge, allowing rusher entry into pocket.
- Has trouble working hips into position to secure blocks laterally.
- Average body control to maintain a steady base through contact.
