Mock draft sees Dolphins make aggressive trade to land Tua Tagovailoa replacement

Charlie Baduini

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Mock draft sees Dolphins make aggressive trade to land Tua Tagovailoa replacement image

After an up-and-down 2025 season, the Miami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa seem headed for a divorce.

The longtime Dolphins quarterback's benching was the final straw in what had been a strenuous relationship over the last few seasons, and Miami seems primed to find a way to dump Tagovailoa and his bloated contract.

While finding a way to get out from under his contract is going to be a tall task, finding his replacement is a whole other animal. But Pro Football Focus predicted Miami to get aggressive in finding its next signal caller in the 2026 NFL Draft.

PFF mock draft has Dolphins trading up to No. 1 for Fernando Mendoza

PFF's Gordon McGuinness latest mock draft has the Dolphins sending their 2026 first-round pick, 2026 second-round pick, 2027 first-round pick, and 2027 second-round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick and the right to draft Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

"With Tua Tagovailoa benched ahead of the Dolphins’ Week 16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s obvious that Miami is in the market for a new quarterback. In this mock draft, they get aggressive to move up for one," wrote McGuinness.

"Mendoza recorded a 6.2% big-time throw rate and a 2.3% turnover-worthy play rate this season, which compares well with recent No. 1 overall picks Cam Ward (6.3%, 3.3%) and Caleb Williams (6.2%, 3.6%)."

The draft pick would be a home run for Miami. Mendoza is a native of the area and would fit seamlessly in Mike McDaniel's timing-based offense.

On the other hand, can the Dolphins afford to sacrifice future capital with the current state of their team?

Probably not, but sometimes, landing your future franchise quarterback outweighs the risk of sacrificing so many draft picks.

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Staff Writer