Dolphins second pick in the first round seems like a perfect fit

The Miami Dolphins moved back and up the board during the first round of the 2026 NFL draft. After starting the night by trading down with the Dallas Cowboys and selecting Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor, general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan struck another deal later in the night.

Miami traded picks Nos. 30 and 90 to the San Francisco 49ers for Nos. 27 and 138 to select San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson.

The fluid, lockdown, outside cornerback upped his draft stock at the NFL Scouting Combine when running a 4.40-second 40-yard dash time. He was also the position’s top-ranked player in Athleticism Score at 87.

Johnson is a very smooth defensive back with athleticism and smarts, who can play man and zone. A very technically sound player who can handle multiple concepts for Miami’s new defensive-minded head coach, Jeff Hafley, Johnson was outstanding in his senior season for the Aztecs.

He held quarterbacks to a 20.6 rating when targeting against him, and had a coverage grade of 92.4 in 2025. He intercepted four passes, taking two of them for scores, and recorded another nine pass breakups last season.

He can immediately be a top cornerback for the Dolphins on the boundary, in what is one of their thinner position groups. With Hafley’s background as a defensive backs coach, he is a perfect pupil for the new head man in Miami. Johnson has very good ball skills, and measures at 6-0 and brings smarts and scheme-versatility to the Dolphins' secondary. He was a first-team All-Mountain West as well as the conference Defensive Player of the Year and a second-team AP All-American, and dominated in his senior season.