Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said he remains open to drafting a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft despite signing Malik Willis to a three-year contract in free agency. Sullivan assessed his roster at various position groups at the NFL annual meeting in Phoenix, calling Willis “an ascending player” whom he wants to give a legitimate shot.
“One, it was important for us to get him on a three-year deal, because we want to build around him,” Sullivan said. “Two, this is not a band-aid. I don’t look at this as a band-aid. Now, he’s got to go play, and he knows this. But with any young quarterback - and I’ll refer to him as a young quarterback because he doesn’t have a ton of time on task - just daily improvement, getting fluid with his reads, taking care of the football.”
Sullivan praised Willis’s physical attributes while acknowledging areas for improvement. “He’s got, as you guys watched the tape last year, this guy’s got all the traits in the world. He’s got an elite arm. He’s a very, very good athlete. He’s a big, strong, powerful body. He can take the punishment, make plays with his legs, attack all levels of the field. It’s just a matter of, I think, taking care of the ball and making good decisions and getting more fluid, playing the position down in and down out, week in and week out,” Sullivan said.
The Dolphins GM emphasized he would not rule out adding another quarterback through the draft, even with Willis and Quinn Ewers, who started the final three games of the 2025 season, on the roster. “If it fell a certain way, I’m going to do what I think is best for the Dolphins,” Sullivan said. “I’m not saying the whole world would understand it, but sometimes you got to do things to secure the long-term vision and health of an organization that maybe don’t make sense to everybody else.”
Sullivan’s approach mirrors his philosophy from his time with the Green Bay Packers, where the organization regularly drafted quarterbacks despite having established starters. During his introductory press conference, Sullivan referenced the Packers’ strategy of drafting Aaron Rodgers while Brett Favre was still playing at a high level, then later drafting Jordan Love while Rodgers was the starter. “We’re going to invest in that position every year if we can. Now depending on where we are as a football team, it’ll be at different values, but we will draft quarterbacks every year, if not every other year because I think you have to,” Sullivan said.
The Dolphins face significant needs at wide receiver after trading Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos. Sullivan expressed confidence in the upcoming draft’s receiver depth. “I think it’s a really good wide receiver draft,” Sullivan said. “I think, obviously, there’s some very, very good players up top. You guys know who they are. But I think there’s depth and substance to it in the second, third, fourth round.”
Sullivan also evaluated his current receiving corps, which includes free agent additions Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert. “And then I have faith in the receivers (we have),” Sullivan said. “Malik Washington is a really good football player. He can do a lot of different things. Very good with the ball in his hands. Tolbert has something to prove. Terrace Marshall has something to prove.”
On the defensive side, Sullivan praised his defensive line group, which includes three defensive tackles selected in the previous draft and veteran Zach Sieler. “I like our young defensive tackle room,” Sullivan said. “I think Jordan Phillips, (Kenneth) Grant, those guys, Zeek Biggers, I like Zach (Sieler). Obviously, he’s a good player, he’s an established player. I like our defensive line. We’ll continue to add to it.”
The Dolphins added edge rushers Josh Uche and David Ojabo in free agency to address pass rush needs. “Uche, I think, is interesting. I think he’ll play a lot of Sam linebacker for us at times,” Sullivan said. “He’s one of those guys, he’s wired right. He’s gonna do it all the right way. He’s tough. He’s physical.” Sullivan also highlighted Ojabo’s physical attributes: “Ojabo, he’s excited. I talked to him, he’s a bigger body, long, he’s got length, he’s got physical presence up there. He’s a little bit of a different body type than we have right now with some of the other guys, which I think we need.”
The Dolphins have reportedly scheduled visits with quarterbacks Ty Simpson, Carson Beck and Taylen Green ahead of the NFL Draft scheduled for April 23-26.