Dolphins Draft Preview: 4 Players Miami Could Land at No. 13

The Miami Dolphins’ offense should once again be explosive, as long as Tua Tagovailoa stays healthy.

But the Miami defense is going to still need some help.

The Dolphins are likely to trade cornerback Jalen Ramsey before the start of the 2025 NFL season, which means they could use some secondary help via the draft.

Miami has the No. 13 pick in the upcoming first round of the draft. That means, barring a trade, the Dolphins will get at least one impact player, and many experts project them to land a player on defense.

Here are four players the Dolphins could choose in the first round.

Miami Dolphins Potential First-Round Picks

Mason Graham, DT, Michigan

Graham has been projected to get picked as high as No. 5 overall. But with Ashton Jeanty-to-Jacksonville picking up steam, Graham could fall even out of the top-10.

The Dolphins may have ranked ninth in the NFL in rushing-yards against per game (103.7) but was 27th in the NFL in sacks last season (35). At 6-3, 318 pounds, Graham is a mountain of a man but also has room to grow, and ESPN’s Peter Schrager, in his projection of Miami selecting him, called him “a Day 1 culture changer and can’t-miss prospect.”

Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas

With Ramsey on his way out, Barron, the 2024 Jim Thorpe Award winner for best defensive back in college football, could make the impending trade sting a little bit less for fans in South Florida.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. projected Barron, while also floating his college teammate, offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. for this slot. But Barron, who ran a 4.39 40-yard dash, was ranked the No. 2 cornerback at the NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis last month.

Barron started every game and had five interceptions, 11 pass breakups and was a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player. He does only check in at 5-11, 194 pounds but can also get up near the line of scrimmage, since he had at least 60 tackles in each of his last three seasons in Austin.

Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina

The Dolphins signed two safeties in the off-season, Ifeatu Melifonwu and Ashtyn Davis, but lost stalwart Jevon Holland, which is why Dane Brugler of The Athletic believes they will also use their first selection on Emmanwori, who he calls “a physical freak.”

Emmanwori is 6-3, 217 pounds yet ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the combine, which makes him more like a linebacker with cornerback speed. He was rated the No. 1 safety at the combine and is the top-graded safety in the draft — Brugler ranked him the No. 17 prospect overall.

Malaki Starks, S, Georgia

Like Brugler, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah also likes Miami to use its first-round selection on a safety, albeit while acquiring additional assets in the process. Jeremiah floated Miami trading out of the No. 13 pick, back to No. 20 to select Starks.

Starks was ranked the No. 2 safety behind only Emmanwori, and at 6-1, 197 pounds he may end up playing both cornerback and safety — especially if he ends up in Miami, since he may play more corner since the Fins acquired safeties but may need to replace Ramsey when he is ultimately dealt.

Starks started 42 games in Athens and won the national championship in 2022. He was a first-team All-American in 2022 before finishing his final collegiate year as a second-team All-American while playing both corner and safety in 2024.