Football

Dolphins Saturday Mailbag: Trying to Make Predictions Off Sullivan Press Conference

By Alain Poupart Sports Illustrated

Updated April 18, 2026 3:34 PM

Part 2 of a pre-draft weekend Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag:

From Nightwatch_0017:

With depleted OL/WR and salary cap, do we extend Achane? I know he is a top RB, but what if his production goes down because of lack of weapons plus defenses can zero in on him and don't have to double Hill? Do we pay guaranteed money to put that workload on him 2x yrs if he holds up?

The reason to sign Achane to a contract extension is the belief he will be a key part of a contending team as soon as the Dolphins can get to that point. What the rest of the roster looks like right now is immaterial to that. And, no, the Dolphins should not and likely will not overwork him even if there aren't a lot of great options on offense.

From Mason:

Mr. Alain, I listened to the full Sully pre-draft press conference and came away with the impression that Sully doesn't value many players at the top of the draft and prefers to trade down. What is the likelihood the Dolphins trade back in this year's draft?

Hey Mason, I didn't reach the same conclusion based on Sullivan's comments, first off. That said, I do believe he wouldn't mind trading down to pick up additional draft capital but that's always easier said than done.

From They call me Doc!:

Hey Alain, what are the top 2 positions of need for this year's Dolphins team in your opinion?

This question has come up often and there's quite a list from which to choose. If I have to narrow it down to two, I'd go with safety and defensive end, but I also wouldn't put up much of an argument if someone countered with cornerback, guard or wide receiver.

From Garbageman:

Will the Dolphins trade back from 30 to get more picks?

Will they? That's impossible to predict. But there certainly are scenarios that would make sense, most notably a team wanting to trade back into the first round to take a quarterback like Ty Simpson.

From DundeeDolphin:

From what the GM said this week, who is out of the picture at 11, and who has moved to the center of the frame? Cheers.

Hey Dana, Jon-Eric Sullivan was very careful not to tip his hand in any way, shape or form, so I don't know how anybody could rule any prospect out for the 11th overall pick, just like I just don't see how there could be a favorite based simply on Sullivan's comments. He wants good football players and will evaluate past injury issues on a case-by-case basis. Like I said, I just don't know how anybody could draw any conclusions based off what he said.

From Mike Small:

Alain, does Quinn Ewers have trade value? It's a bad QB class and I'd imagine he'd be worth a 4th or 5th round pick.

Hey Mike, yeah, not sure about that. Let's remember that Ewers was a seventh-round pick last year, so I don't know how you'd get two or three rounds better than that just based off his three starts. I mean, he didn't look out of place in those starts, but let's also not make it out like he was tearing it up, either. Besides, the Dolphins will need a backup for Malik Willis in 2026, and that's where Ewers fits in.

From Ed Helinski:

What team areas should the Dolphins be focusing on during the draft to get younger and cheaper while fulfilling team needs?

Hey Ed, the answer is every single place on the roster except for running back indeed will be getting a contract extension, quarterback because it's Malik Willis' show for the next two years, and maybe defensive tackle after three investment with three draft picks last year (though I don't even think that's off limits because we don't know the ceiling yet and Zach Sieler's contract suggests he could be moved next offseason.

From Mark:

Are there any players you think the Dolphins should avoid with their first-round picks?

Hey Mark, for where the Dolphins are as an organization, I'd avoid big risks, such as injury concerns, which means I'd be a no on Jordyn Tyson and Jermod McCoy. I also don't think Jeremiyah Love makes sense if De'Von Achane is getting extended. More specifically, I don't like the idea of a wide receiver at 11 for many reasons, so that would further eliminate Tyson for me, as well as Makai Lemon and Carnell Tate.

From Matthews 4:

Given the press conference when we are looking at potential draft choices, do we now have to consider the characteristics of tough, physical and violent?

This was part of a prior Sullivan press conference, and I'll go more with what he said last week is that he wants good, impactful players. If they happen to be tough, physical and violent, that's good too but it's not everything.

From Mmmm:

What WR are we drafting? Your best educated guess.

That's a very good question and I'm going to start with the premise that Jon-Eric Sullivan will not want to use his first pick on a wide receiver because he shares (my obviously correct) viewpoint that there's not a prospect special enough at that position that they couldn't get somebody of similar potential at 30 and therefore could better maximize the value of the 11th pick with a pick at another position. So under the premise the Dolphins don't draft a wide receiver at 11, the options at 30 or somewhere else in the first round if Miami trades down, would include KC Concepcion from Texas A&M, Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana and Denzel Boston from Washington.

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This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 3:19 PM.

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