Which 2026 NFL Draft Prospects MUST The Miami Dolphins NOT Trade Away From At Pick No. 11?

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Which players in the 2026 NFL draft should the dolphins not trade away from an 11 no

matter what, I've got my list, we're going over it here on Lockdown Dolphins.

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Network, your team every day.

Oh right Miami, welcome to another episode of Lockdown Dolphins.

It is your team every day here on the Lockdown Network.

I'm Kyle Crabs, your host here on Lockdown Dolphins, lifelong Miami Dolphins fan, host

of Lockdown Dolphins co-host of Lockdown NFL scouting author of Touchdown Miami on Substack

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By some guys are and are not on the annual do not trade away from list, I'm going to start

with what this annual list is every year we do a list of 2026 this year, 2025 last year,

NFL draft prospects that if they're on the board for the dolphins, you stick and pick.

No questions asked, you don't feel bad about it, you don't worry about do we need this

on the roster, it's just the too good to be true scenario players that you could call

an offer and I cannot imagine a world in which a player and their value would be trumped

by moving out and moving down and getting a lesser player with more picks in the future.

And this list is it's an inexact science, it's based on the draft grades that I give

at every single year, I've done draft grades every year since the 2013 NFL draft, I'd

like to think I've gotten a lot better over that period of time, but it's always an inexact

science, it's always moving target, you're always trying to correct things that you got

wrong in your evaluations the prior year or two years prior and you're always learning

more about the game, right?

And then the teams and their individual plans, there's a lot of human error in this inexact

science that we do our dance with every single year with the NFL draft.

But the do not trade list, for me, it usually starts with the criteria of having surplus

value, right?

And where the dolphins pick right now at 11, puts them in the marquee spot to almost guarantee

that they don't have an opportunity where they're going to have too much in the way of

surplus value.

Now, if you were picking 10th, if you were picking one spot higher, you were going to be

to really bad spot with that spot because in theory, a top 10 pick, you would expect

a top 10 evaluation, but top 10 evaluations, they're hard to come by now, right?

And this year's class is unique, but picking in 11, you're in a different bucket, you're

picking in the first round because it's not in the top 10.

So it opens the door for you to have more in the way of guys who, wow, I can't believe

this guy is here.

We should draft this guy.

He's a top 10 grade and we don't even pick in the top 10, we pick it 11, right?

So I want to start with kind of the macro look at the draft and what I have in the way

of grades.

I'm going to read the top 10 grades that I currently have for the 2026 NFL draft.

Sonny Styles, linebacker Ohio State, Rubin Bain, Edge R Usher, University of Miami, Jeremiah

Love, running back Notre Dame fighting Irish, Caleb Downs, Safety Ohio State Buckeyes,

Arvel Reese, linebacker Ohio State Buckeyes, Vega Yulane, offensive guard, Penn State,

Knitney Lides, Mansored the Lane, Cornerback, LSU Tigers, Jordan Tyson, wide receiver,

Arizona State, Fernando Mendoza, quarterback, Indiana, Francis Mauiola, offensive tackle,

University of Miami, those are the 10 best players that I have graded in this year's

class.

Now, not all these guys have top 10 values in the vacuum and that's where these power

dynamics for players and picks exist is are you maximizing, there's going to be 10 top

10 picks, no matter what, but is the player in isolation valued for what he does well,

what he doesn't do well, what his position of value is, what his risk is, what his medical

history looks like, what his character background is, does all of the pieces of the resume come

together to say, we check all the boxes to be a top 10 pick when it's all said and

that answers, obviously, no, there's a debate every single year about how many first round

grades you have, well, there's 32 players, so you have 32 first round grades, but in a vacuum,

you may not have enough, it's supply and demand, an appropriate value, so to start with,

now the guys that I have on my list, I have four top 10 evaluations in this year's class,

that's pretty close to standard, some years at six, I think one year I had seven, you never,

you never get 10 to go with 10 or more where you've got a surplus of elite players, that's why

they're elite, because there's only a handful of, so sunny styles, Rubin Bain, Jeremiah Love,

and Caleb Downs are the four players that I currently have evaluated as the blue chip players

across the board in this year's draft, not all four of them are on the do not trade down list.

Jeremiah Love, if the dolphin situation was different,

would be on the list, but their situation's not different, it is what it is, which there's a lot

of foundational work along the line of scrimmage that needs to be done on both sides of the football,

we're talking about a team that already has a running back and is leaning towards

keeping that running back, based on Devon H&N was one of the levers that they pulled for salary

cap compliance, I think that makes it more likely that they retained Devon H&N, I think it will

help the offers that they get for teams to call, so it was his fourth year, fourth and final year

was rookie contract and the dolphins took the maximum amount of the salary that he was owed

and gave it to him in a bonus yesterday, and then they put four void years on the back end of

his contract where it's like 900K times five, this year's cap and the next four years worth

a cap, and if he's not on the team, then they would take a, if his contract expires and they let him

walk, then it would be 900K times four, and that would be the dead money or the void money for

2027, but they're talking about keeping Devon H&N, so if they sign up to an extension,

the money doesn't accelerate, it's just 900K plus whatever signs for next year, and then 900K

plus whatever's on his contract year after that, and 900K plus whatever's on his contract year

after that in 2029. So I think it's made it more likely that Devon H&N stays, it doesn't just stay,

it gets a contract extension, but then on top of that, the other side of that coin

is Devon H&N could possibly get better trade offers because now you're talking about

$5 million less in compensation that he's owed this year. So does that buy up somebody to offer

you a first trump pick for Devon H&N, for minimum salary this year, and then you have a like a $5

million dead cap charge to trade him? I doubt it, but it could still swing either way,

and their current state of affairs from a cap perspective, they do still have a Jordan

Brooks lever that they can pull for salary cap compliance until June 1st.

Very long-winded way of saying the Devon H&N situation, plus where the team is at,

and they're posturing to pay Devon H&N, makes Jeremiah love not be on the do not trade downless.

So my do not trade downless is three players long to show. I'm going to talk some more about

those three individually in the next segment, and then we'll finish today's show with some guys

who aren't on the do not trade downless that I would still very much like to take,

if they were on the board of the dolphins make their pick at number 11, if they stay in pick

at number 11, but they're not too good to be true for various reasons.

And we'll get into that as well, so make sure you guys stick with us.

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Don't forget to check out the every day or club here on the locked on network for add free

episodes of this program and access to the locked on community discord. You can tap the link

in these show notes in the show description to sign up. The three guys that are on sunny styles

Rubin Bay and Caleb downs defensive player on all three levels of defense.

Sunny styles is the cleanest overall projection in my eyes because there's not like a

he's prototyped size with elite tape with elite athleticism with wonderful intangibles.

It plays a position that is slowly becoming that much more important to have difference

making players or else you are peace-mealing that position and putting trying to maximize everything

else around it to minimize its impact as best you possibly can. All fall linebackers in today's

day and age are we're going 13 personnel are going 12 personnel and the tight ends run like wider

sievers and catch like big body guys and you got to be able to carry them up the field and people

put a lot of speed on the inside and the slot and they take those routes up the middle of the field

and you got to have guys that can hit those landmarks but simultaneously also go through their run

reads and make sure they're getting downhill and they've got sideline the sideline ability because

you play a lot of nickel so you don't have a lot of protection to turn stuff from the outside in so

you're going to be able to scrape and play over the top but then if team spread you out then you

got to be able to get downhill and you got to be able to plug into a gap and make tackles and

read and process the deepest rough locks and then on passing downs everybody likes to get their guys

up on the line of scrimmage and they got to show a lot of stuff but then sometimes we'll drop out so

now you're going to be bumped up at a big gap and then carry that slot receiver all the way down

the field and carry vertical speed at number three while simultaneously sometimes you're going to

actually be going on your blitz and you got to be able to tack the running back and get into that

a gap and you got to really get downhill and you got to collapse the pocket and you got to put pressure

on the court there's a lot on running that on linebackers in today's game and if you've got a guy

that does all of that it can tie your whole defense it it'll help you tie your front and your

secondary together seamlessly the menu of options that you have with players like this

are rare right I don't expect sunny styles to be there at number 11 I expect these probably

going to be a top five pick whether that's the jets at two Arizona at three Tennessee at four

or the giants at five this is my expectation if he gets past that I will be surprised right now

than that's that's part of testament to class but it's also part testament to sunny styles

so with that in mind if you live in a world where he is penalized for playing off ball linebacker

and he's there at number 11 don't trade out of it that is such a too good to be true scenario to

see a player like that staring you in the face when you already got your own Brooks holy smokes what

you could do with those two cats on on your second level special opportunity you don't trade away

from special opportunities Rubin Bane a lot of what the dolphins have on the edge right now

is I don't want to say finesse players but they're they're speed oriented past rushers right Josh

U.J. Chuck Robinson Robert Peele was a twitchy guy

guy like Rubin Bane who can line up on the inside the lineup on the edge

I don't see length as being a problem in his game at all because of how he plays

probably the biggest dog in the class as far as if you're trying to

reset the culture of an organization and Rubin Bane has familiar

experiences with playing in south florida and the distractions that come with being on a successful

team and being a successful player at the university Miami and he knows how to deal with all that

and he's still the biggest dog in the class you know how that dude's wired

that plus the raw power he plays with plus the versatility that he plays with plus the tenacity

that he plays with you know trade away from player like that do I expect Rubin Bane to be there

at number eleven no I do not but if he is that's why he's on the do not trade list right

and then Caleb Downs Caleb Downs there's a couple more things working against him

for being a cream of the crop player in the eyes of the league because he does play safety

and a lot of safety's now you're really minimized because structurally everybody plays the

two high shells right when you play all the two high shells stuff what does that mean that means

you've got less grass to cover means it's more easily replaceable to have somebody to just play

in a half-field split he'll be a really special player and I think Caleb Downs is a really special

player I think he's got tremendous football IQ I think he's probably the most like pro ready

player in the class from a approach and what he's done with himself in his free time

and his prep and his training he's a professional from day one he's been a professional athlete

for years even if he's been playing in college arguably the most instinctive player in the class

and he's really diverse so you could play him on the second level you could play him in D-path

you could play him high on the post you could play him mugged up you could put him in the C gap

or the D gap and him fit the run as a nickel he does it all and guys like that with that amount

of versatility again it's it's about presenting a large menu of things that you can do

you don't especially with the need that the dolphins have to now you're getting into an

intersection of wow this is so good to be true maybe not a linebacker but I and I think it's

applicable at edge but I think the need at safety's a more dire position room for the dolphins right

so now it's a primary need on the roster with a surplus value with a top 10 graded player who

you're picking outside the top 10 what we care that he he's not a plus plus size player with

plus plus athleticism and he plays a D-value position that kind of is the cocktail of things you

need to have a player fall into your lap and if Caleb Downs is there I'm not trading away from

and I'm not taking anybody else and I really like some of these other guys I really love Vega

Yawane from Penn State I love Francis Maui Noah those are probably the two you know if if you

were going to extend the list into first round grades for a first round pick that's not surplus

value it would probably be the two offensive lineman would be the only two names that I would

sit here and point out and say if those guys are there you got to stay and pick but I also know

I've got 30 in my back pocket and I know you can find some guards on day two that can be starting

caliber guards they're not they're not I think Yawane is a special player but I know I can find

that the opportunity cost there is not going to cost me wow I'm not going to find a single player

who I think can play guard and start with dolphins this year so we've teased a little bit the

the guys who aren't on the list and could they be on Miami's list should they be on Miami's

actual list as compared to my grades right because I'm grading outside the organization I don't know

exactly what the scheme points of emphasis are going to be I don't know exactly what they're going

to make their identity on either side of the ball it's it's kind of a big unknown right now we need

some proof of concept and I don't want anybody to misconstrue this and say that my opinion on

the players is the final word right is if you're and especially with the draft you're projecting

hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of players right and when you had when it's your job to have

an opinion on that especially when you you don't know what exactly the scheme is going to look like

there's going to be things that I'm right about and there's going to be things that I'm wrong about

and it's a really humbly experience to sit down and put all your thoughts on paper for 300 kids

going in the league and some of them you feel like if they go into a different situation they

be more successful or less successful than what they were with where they actually land so maybe

in your own head you say maybe I wasn't so off base with this I don't know I don't want this

to be deemed as the final word right I'd be doing you guys into services here and act like I am

the on the present final word on draft evaluations but I do have a lot of conviction on the grades

that I have and those three guys for me or guys I personally if I were in their shoes I would not

move away from and if any of them make it to you at 11 the list of guys that you would take

in front of one of those three or the list of guys that you or the trade packages that you

could get in lieu of drafting one of them and 11 you trade out of it we're going to need quite

the hall to justify it for my perspective right so we'll talk a little bit more about the list

and guys that aren't on it a little bit more about Yawane and Mauiola and the offensive line

element of this next make sure you guys stick with us what are sports were traded like markets now

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our bees we have the meat and participating our bees for a limited time I think if I were going to

and right now I have I have 15 first round grades like players in a vacuum that I look at and say

hey in a perfect world this player is a bonafide first round great now I do have a cut off

that I like to use after pick 20 or after the 24th slot like picks 26 to 40 which is the final

eight picks of the first round and then the first eight picks of the second round

so from 25 to 40 has its own tier for me and it's late one early two

it's a half a rounds worth of players in a perfect world you would have 24 first round

grades and then you would have 16 late one early twos to fill the last eight spots of the first

round and the first eight spots of the second round because that's really it is a sub tier down

but it's like a bell curve right like them on either end of the extreme the elite of the elites

and the worst of the worst it's pretty thin and then for draftable talent like it's much more

closely bunched together in the middle rounds for grades for grades distribution right now you

could argue that for all the players that you don't do evaluations on because they're not going

to make it an elite like it doesn't play out the actual populations of bell curve but

all of that to say ideally you'd have 24 first round grades in a given class and then you'd have

16 late one early twos to get you to pick 40 in the queue I've got 15 so I'm about

nine short on the first round grade perspective it kind of speaks to some of the thinness at the

top of the class the late one early twos the dolphins have the pick at 30 right that is a late one

right now my late one early twos gets you to 29

now Ty Simpson's not in that group I think predictively Peter Woods has a chance to go in the top

20 top 25 and he's not in this group there's some offensive lineman that I have twos on that I

think predictively like Caleb Proctor I think has a good chance to go in the first round in the top

25 so if those sorts of things happen then mathematically I'm going to be able to say hey I think we're

going to get an appropriate value player pool to choose from a pick 30 as a late first round pick right

but some of those offensive lineman that still exists there this is where you get a little bit

of flexibility with Maui Noah who I think is a great great prospect and you'll want to get

a guard and I think Maui Noah one thing he has going for us I think he could play guard and if

the dolphins drafted him he probably would play guard to start in 2026 he'd probably be the right

guard and Austin Jackson contract expires and he'd probably kick him out after that right I love

that plan for the dolphins I value you you want I just marginally higher but at the end of the day

their first round grades when you when you do the tally on their strengths and weaknesses

their first round grades for first round pick if you stick and pick like I still need a really

handsome proposition and trade value for me to advocate trading away from a first round offensive

lineman with a pick at number 11 with the state of affairs of the offensive line I probably wouldn't

do it but if a team comes rolling in here with a pick in the the late 20s and offers you a first

round pick next year I look at the rest of the offensive lineman and knowing that I would still

have the insurance policy knowing I still have pick 30 which has some offensive lineman that could

very easily be available to you with that pick at 30 never mind what you might get back trading

out of 11 and that's where I can make peace with the idea of trading away from Mauiowa or you want

because I like this offensive line class I just don't know who's still going to be there 43

between Mauiowa, Freeling, and Caden Proctor, and Blake Miller, and Iron H or from Arizona State

and Caleb Lomo, and you want a it's I don't feel very good about those guys being there 43

but I do think you will see one or two of them still there at 30

if that wets your whistle and you get it good enough offer to move out and that's not to say

that there's not good safeties right like this safety group like Caleb Downs if you trade out of

Caleb Downs you'll make Neil Warren and Jay Halsey do you classify Kyle Lewis as a safety I've

got a top 50 grade on Kyle Lewis I think he's a great player they can really blur some lines for

coach that's that's willing to have a linebacker slash safety hybrid type player McNeil Warren

maybe Dylan Thiniman slides a little bit but the difference there is Downs has a top 10 grade for

a not top 10 pick it's pick it a let right it's the surplus value that changes the conversation

what guys enjoyed this look at Miami's first of many draft choices we will do player presentations

we'll talk more about the draft than the storylines and my favorite fits and all that jazz

so make sure you hit subscribe follow along not just in the build up to the draft

but every step along the way right this this build is often running and we're going to react to

everything that happens and talk about why it's happening and what they're trying to accomplish

and if it works how it'll work and if it doesn't work what it'll look like and then when we figure

out if it works for it doesn't work we'll react to it a great time on this channel and I appreciate

everybody who comes along for the ride with us and I hope you come back see me get on Monday for

more Miami dolphins draft preview work which comes your way soon ends up

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