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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 31: Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (#61) blocks during the CFP Quarterfinal Cotton Bowl Classic football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Miami Hurricanes on December 31, 2025 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. (Photo by Matthew Visinsky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Well, folks… it’s April. So you know what that means.
The 2026 NFL Draft takes place at the end of this month! In fact, the first round kicks off exactly three weeks from today on Thursday, April 23rd. The Miami Dolphins hold two picks in the first round of this year’s selection process — with their first selection scheduled to take place at pick #11.
There has been plenty of speculation as to who the Dolphins may be targeting with the 11th pick in the draft, but one expert sees them as the “sweet spot” for University of Miami’s Francis Mauigoa — one of the top offensive linemen available.
Tony Pauline — a longtime draft pundit who now writes for Essentially Sports — released an article on Thursday predicting landing spots for the incoming rookie offensive tackles. About Mauigoa and the Dolphins, he had this to say:
When it comes to Mauigoa, except for the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets, most of the teams at the top of the draft have spent significant time with him. I’m told the sweet spot is the Chiefs with the ninth pick or the Miami Dolphins with pick No. 11, as both teams have spent an “inordinate amount of time” with the right tackle. Few believe Mauigoa gets past the Miami Dolphins, where he would be a Week 1 starter.
For a team that desperately wants to build “from the inside out,” as newly hired general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan recently stated, landing Mauigoa would be an absolute home-run when it comes to that intention. Mauigoa — just 20 years old — excelled as a right tackle for the Hurricanes last season, but could easily slide inside to guard and give the Dolphins a dominant presence there while Austin Jackson is healthy.
Of course, as Pauline states, Mauigoa is one of the more popular players available in the 2026 NFL Draft, so him making it to pick #11 is no certainty. But, if he does, it sounds like Sullivan and the Miami Dolphins would be ready to pounce.
