Jaylen Waddle (Alabama) walks on stage after being selected by Miami Dolphins as the number six overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft at First Energy Stadium. Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Explaining the Dolphins Pick in the On SI Mock Draft 3.0

Originally posted on Miami Dolphins on SI
By Alain Poupart | Last updated Apr 18, 2025 3:00 PM ET

With the 2025 NFL draft now less than a week away, it was time for a third and final On SI network mock draft, with the publishers predicting the first-round pick for the team they cover.

The Miami Dolphins have the 13th overall selection in the mock, which did not allow for trades, and we ended up selecting University of Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron at that spot.

The first 13 picks in the mock draft — and therefore unavailable to be selected — were QB Cam Ward to Tennessee, CB/WR Travis Hunter to Cleveland, OLB Abdul Carter to the New York Giants, T Will Campbell to New England, DT Mason Graham to Jacksonville, T Armand Membou to Las Vegas, TE Tyler Warren to the New York Jets, EDGE Mike Green to Carolina, QB Shedeur Sanders to New Orleans, RB Ashton Jeanty to Chicago, T Kelvin Banks Jr. and WR Tetairoa McMillan to Dallas.

Campbell and Banks have been projected to the Dolphins in other national mock drafts, and either of them would make sense at 13 if they wound up being available on the real draft night April 24.

Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. was our choice in the On SI Mock Draft 1.0, with the idea he would play guard at the start of his NFL career, but the secondary now has become the biggest priority and we decided to go with Barron for the second consecutive time.

This was our analysis of the Dolphins pick at 13: "Cornerback was among the team’s top priorities even before news came out that Jalen Ramsey and the franchise have agreed to explore trade possibilities. This came down to a choice between Barron and Will Johnson of Michigan, and it could go either way, but Barron gets the edge for his versatility."