Peter Schrager’s Final 2026 NFL Mock Draft Projects 32 First-Round Picks

Peter Schrager’s final 2026 NFL mock draft projects 32 first-round picks and frames the upcoming selection as unusually unpredictable, writing that “we can throw positional value out the window this year.”

“2026 NFL Draft eve is upon us, and Miami Dolphins fans are sure to be happy with one move that analyst Peter Schrager is predicting they will make”

Canes Warning

In the ESPN mock, Schrager says the “only top-tier quarterback is a lock to go No. 1,” and he adds that “it means we're going to see surprises” on draft night.

Canes Warning

Schrager also tells readers they can watch “The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular” on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

The ESPN projection includes specific player-team pairings such as David Bailey, Edge, Texas Tech going to the Jets, and Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame landing with Arizona.

Schrager’s Round 1 board also places Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State with the Titans, and Arvell Reese, Edge, Ohio State with the Giants.

The mock further includes Spencer Fano, OT, Utah to the Browns and Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State to Washington, while Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State is projected to New Orleans.

Across the ESPN piece, Schrager repeatedly emphasizes that the draft’s top tier is “particularly wide open,” with “chaos in the top 10 and beyond.”

While ESPN’s mock draft lays out the full Round 1, Florida-focused coverage highlights Schrager’s specific prediction for the Miami Dolphins at No. 11 overall.

Canes Warning says Schrager projects Miami will select “Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa at No. 11 overall,” describing it as a move that “the state of Florida will enjoy” because it keeps an in-state player.

ESPN

The Dolphins’ pick at 11 is presented as “the first opportunity the Dolphins will have to take a player off the board,” and the same piece says the next selection in the first round is “also within the first round at 30th overall.”

Canes Warning quotes Schrager via ESPN, including Adam Schefter’s report that “Mauigoa has a herniated disk in his back and teams will have to be comfortable with that.”

Schrager’s rationale, as quoted, is that “I still think he's a high pick,” and that “Mauigoa is an immediate starter, and new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan needs to find a bunch of those.”

The Dolphins’ offensive line context is tied to “Right tackle Austin Jackson missed significant time last season,” with “questions on the interior” also cited.

Canes Warning adds that “There are a lot of directions Miami could go at No. 11,” but it frames the Mauigoa selection as a fit for Mike McDaniel’s offense.

In the same coverage, the physical profile is spelled out as “6-foot-6 and and 315 pounds,” alongside “a surprising level of quickness.”

Schrager’s Dolphins projections also include a second first-round selection at No. 30 overall, where Canes Warning says Miami would take Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy.

“We are just one day away from the start of the 2026 NFL Draft and after months and months of speculation, we will soon find out who the newest members of our Miami Dolphins are going to be”

The Phinsider

The piece ties the extra first-round pick to a “blockbuster trade with the Denver Broncos in which they swapped out wide receiver Jaylen Waddle for the pick.”

It then describes Schrager’s view of McCoy as a “controversial selection,” quoting that “The concerns around McCoy's knee are real, so I think he does go a little later than previously thought.”

Even with that concern, Canes Warning says Schrager does not expect McCoy to drop out of the first round, writing, “But ... I don't think he falls out of the first round.”

The Dolphins’ roster needs are linked directly to “the state of their cornerback room,” and Schrager’s quoted conclusion is that “this is a swing worth taking.”

Canes Warning also quotes the upside: “When healthy, McCoy can be a difference-maker.”

The Phinsider similarly frames the same two-player outcome as “Final Schrager mock sees talented players with injury concerns land in Miami,” and it repeats the Dolphins’ selection numbers as “11. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami” and “30. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee.”

In that Phinsider account, Schrager’s quoted language about McCoy’s knee is again used to justify the timing, stating “The concerns around McCoy’s knee are real, so I think he does go a little later than previously thought.”

Beyond the headline picks, the Dolphins-focused writeups emphasize how injury concerns are expected to shape timing and availability.

Canes Warning quotes ESPN’s Adam Schefter report that “Mauigoa has a herniated disk in his back and teams will have to be comfortable with that,” and it frames Schrager’s view that Mauigoa is still “an immediate starter.”

Canes Warning

The Phinsider expands on the medical timeline by saying Mauigoa is “reportedly has a herniated disk,” and it adds that he’s “also supposedly symptom free.”

It further states that “teams think he should undergo surgery now in order to be available midway through training camp and avoid missing time during the regular season if a flare up were to occur.”

That same Phinsider piece describes how the Dolphins could use Mauigoa immediately, saying “he’d be an immediate impact starter — either at guard or at right tackle — for the organization.”

For McCoy, the Phinsider repeats Schrager’s quoted assessment that “The concerns around McCoy’s knee are real,” and it again says Schrager “does go a little later than previously thought.”

The Phinsider then frames the decision as a high-variance bet, writing that “this is a swing worth taking” and that “When healthy, McCoy can be a difference-maker.”

It also introduces the Will Johnson comparison by stating “Some have reported that McCoy’s knee could be worse than Will Johnson’s,” and it specifies that Johnson “slipped out of the first round in 2025 due to his own knee issues.”

The Dolphins-focused coverage also lays out the rest of Miami’s draft board as presented in the mock, listing multiple rounds and pick numbers beyond the two first-round selections.

“We're now about 36 hours out from the 2026 NFL draft”

ESPN

Canes Warning says the Dolphins have “11 picks in this draft,” and it provides a “look at where the Dolphins will select in this year's NFL Draft” with Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, Round 4, Round 5, and Round 7 selections.

ESPN

In that list, it repeats Round 1 as “No. 11” and “No. 30,” and it places Round 2 at “No. 43.”

The same list shows Round 3 picks at “No. 75,” “No. 87,” “No. 90,” and “No. 94,” followed by Round 4 at “No. 130” and Round 5 at “No. 151.”

It then includes Round 7 selections at “No. 227” and “No. 238,” completing the 11-pick total.

The Phinsider’s framing is more narrative than tabular, but it still anchors the mock to the same two key Dolphins selections at “11. Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami” and “30. Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee.”

The Phinsider also emphasizes that the mock is published “on Wednesday morning” by “Peter Schrager of ESPN,” and it positions the timing as “with roughly 36 hours until the beginning of round one.”

Across both Dolphins pieces, the injury concerns for Mauigoa and McCoy are treated as the central tension, while the draft capital is treated as the mechanism for absorbing that risk.