Breaking Down the 2021 Dolphins Opponents and Full Draft Order

The Miami Dolphins' list of 2021 opponents and draft order have been finalized after the conclusion of the 2020 season

Alain Poupart | Jan 4, 2021

The Miami Dolphins' 2021 opponents were finalized with the conclusion of the 2020 season Sunday.

Well, maybe.

There's the pending issue of a possible 17th game being added by NFL owners, as would be their prerogative per terms of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

More on that 17th game would look like later, after we establish what we already know.

We'll skip the annual home-and-home series against AFC East opponents.

The list of Dolphins 2021 opponents looks like this (along with information on the teams' last meeting):

Home

Houston Texans (2018 at Houston; Texans 42, Dolphins 23)

Indianapolis Colts (2019 at Indianapolis; Dolphins 16, Colts 12)

Atlanta Falcons (2017 at Atlanta; Dolphins 20, Falcons 17)

Carolina Panthers (2017 at Carolina; Panthers 45, Dolphins 21)

Baltimore Ravens (2019 at Miami; Ravens 59, Dolphins 10)

Away

Jacksonville Jaguars (2020 at Jacksonville; Dolphins 31, Jaguars 13)

Tennessee Titans (2018 at Miami; Dolphins 27, Titans 20)

New Orleans Saints (2017 at London, England; Saints 20, Dolphins 0)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017 at Miami; Buccaneers 30, Dolphins 20)

Las Vegas Raiders (2020 at Las Vegas; Dolphins 26, Raiders 25)

When it comes to the 17th game, if one is added, reports have suggested it will match teams from different conferences that finish in the same place in their division and weren't already scheduled to play.

Furthermore, it's believe the division matchup for 2021 will have the AFC East facing the NFC East, which would mean the Dolphins' 17th game would be against the New York Giants (with site to be determined).

When it comes to the 2021 draft, the Dolphins — as everyone should know by now — clinched the third overall pick when the Tennessee Titans defeat the Houston Texans in a late-afternoon game Sunday.

The Dolphins' own first-round pick will be the 18th overall, the same spot used to take tackle Austin Jackson in the 2020 NFL draft.

The Dolphins, of course, also own Houston's second-round pick by virtue of the 2019 Laremy Tunsil trade and that pick will be the 36th overall. The Dolphins' own second-round selection will be the 50th overall.

Looking further down, the Dolphins also will have the 81st overall selection with their own pick in the fourth round.

Published Jan 4, 2021

ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.