The Dolphins’ draft talk has already drifted past Arch Manning and landed on a new name: Drew Mestemaker.
Miami still has 11 games left in 2026, and there’s a long runway after that before anyone turns the page to the 2027 NFL Draft. Between the playoffs, the Super Bowl, free agency, the NFL Combine and then the draft itself, there’s plenty of football left before the future becomes real. But Dolphins fans are going to keep looking ahead anyway, and right now the conversation seems to be narrowing to two players at the top of the class: Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker.
For a fan base that could use something to hang onto, that alone gives this season a strange sort of intrigue.
Manning, at least for now, has faded from the center of the discussion. The Texas quarterback has been the subject of transfer speculation after the Longhorns dropped from No. 1 in the NCAA rankings, and there’s growing belief he will return to school in 2027. If he does leave Texas, the next question is where he would go.
Dolphins fans, though, don’t seem especially interested unless that next stop is Miami via the Hurricanes. Their attention has shifted to Mestemaker, a player most people barely knew before this season.
He’s still a relative unknown, but that hasn’t stopped the buzz from building. Even with a smaller college sample than some other quarterbacks in the class, Mestemaker is drawing comparisons to another small-school surprise who arrived with plenty of skepticism and then took off: Josh Allen.
The name is familiar for a reason. Dolphins fans may not love Allen, but they’d be thrilled to have that kind of player running their offense.
Mestemaker is trending toward being the top quarterback in the 2027 draft, and plenty of mock drafts have him going first overall. That’s where the argument starts for Miami fans.
Smith is a different kind of temptation. He’s the clear top receiver in college football and has been described as a game-changing target who can take over without needing a top quarterback to help him do it. He’s also being talked about as the best pure receiver prospect since 2021, when Ja’Marr Chase was taken, with prospect comparisons that put him in the conversation with Calvin Johnson and Julio Jones.
What separates Smith is the consistency he has shown throughout his college career. But the pushback is obvious too: wide receiver is easier to find than a quarterback who can tilt a franchise.
So that’s where the Dolphins are in this little early look ahead. Mestemaker brings Aaron Rodgers and Allen vibes and looks like the kind of quarterback who could change the direction of a team.
Smith is the rare receiver prospect who can wreck a defense on his own. And in the end, it may come down to how Malik Willis looks down the stretch.
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Dolphins May Have Finally Found A Coach Worth Trusting
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NFL insider Peter Schrager took note of that after the win, framing Hafley as a coach who has Miami headed somewhere better than the usual rebuilding slog. The challenge now is turning one encouraging result into a real stretch of momentum, and the schedule offers another chance soon enough with the Patriots coming to Miami in Week 8. For a team trying to establish trust in a new direction, the next few games will matter just as much as the first win did. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Willis Just Changed The Dolphins Conversation
The Dolphins finally got their first win of the 2026 season in Week 7, edging the Jets 28-25 in a game that did more than just snap the skid. Malik Willis delivered the kind of all-around performance Miami has been searching for, throwing for 208 yards and two touchdowns while also making plays with his legs and finishing with a 130.7 passer rating.
It was the sort of outing that can change the way a quarterback is discussed in a building, especially when it comes with both efficiency and improvisation. Willis also landed among the leagues most productive dual-threat passers this season, and the advanced numbers only added to the appeal, with his day against New York grading out as one of the best performances of the year in terms of expected points added per drop back. [Read more 🡒]
Malik Washington Just Showed Why The Dolphins May Have Found A Keeper
Malik Washington has spent the first chunk of the 2026 season looking less like a complementary piece and more like a receiver the Dolphins can build around. The second-year wideout has settled into a significant role in Miamis passing game, giving the offense a reliable target who has already climbed to the top of the teams charts in catches and receiving yards while also showing the kind of after-the-catch juice that can tilt a drive.
The numbers have matched the eye test, too. Washington ranks 42nd in yards per game and has drawn strong marks from Pro Football Focus as one of the top 40 qualified receivers this season, which only adds to the sense that Miami may have found something real here. And beyond the production, the way he fits into the flow of the offense has made him stand out in a way the Dolphins will want to keep leaning on. [Read more 🡒]