NFL Draft 2026: History of the Miami Dolphins’ two first-round picks

Alabama safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is selected 11th overall by the Miami Dolphins during the NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Thursday, April 26, 2018. (Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images) The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off in just under three weeks

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What is the story about?

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)