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The Miami Dolphins made two picks in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, one of which was the 27th pick in the draft after a small trade-up.
Jon-Eric Sullivan and Jeff Hafley landed their first defensive player in San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson. It was a bold pick, especially with other corners on the board who've garnered first-round interest.
For this pick to be a success, the Dolphins will need their new cornerback to become the next Quinyon Mitchell and Sauce Gardner. But how? ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques revealed how Johnson can be a good pick, and it's a simple question he must answer.
Dolphins need Chris Johnson to be next Quinyon Mithcell, Sauce Gardner
"Will his game translate at the next level? It's low-hanging fruit for any prospect coming out of a Group of 5 conference, but Johnson had limited reps against NFL-caliber competition," Louis-Jacques writes. "Sauce Gardner and Quinyon Mitchell both made the transition smoothly, and the Dolphins hope they have found the next great Group of 5 cornerback."
The Dolphins took a big chance with the Johnson pick, as he's not nearly as experienced as NFL-level receivers like some other cornerbacks are.
Coming out of San Diego State, a big question Johnson will need to answer is whether he can hang with the NFL-caliber receivers.
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He doesn't have to be a shut-down cornerback like Gardner or Mitchell at the NFL level, but he needs to show he can handle competition at the NFL level to be a successful pick.
Such a concern might be overblown, especially since there's been plenty of success with corners coming from Group of 5 competition in recent years.
But it is an issue, and hard to ignore since it's very possible this transition to the NFL level ends up being the reason why Johnson becomes a bust, if he does struggle for Miami after being the No. 27 pick in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft.
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