D-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins got the worse of every deal, and it shows in the D-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 34 picks
· 8 steals
· 16 reaches
Call it a hunch or call it a gamble, but the Dolphins spent Round 7, Pick 37 on Diego Pounds, a name most had 136 spots down the list. Hard to defend, and the D- reflects that.
They handed away value on the phones that the picks cannot earn back. Getting Slaughter where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class.
Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it. The offense got the lion's share of the attention.
The verdict is not kind, and fairly so; this class has a hill to climb.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th pick they get a three-down runner, and a steal at that.
In pick 31 they get a plug-and-play piece up front, even if it was a touch early. A clean fit for the roster.
Max Iheanachor at the 43rd overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Keionte Scott at the Round 3 slot is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A minor itch, scratched.
Taking Jake Slaughter in Round 3, Pick 26 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A need, and now a little less of one.
They barely believed it either: Zachariah Branch still on the board at No. 92. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nothing to complain about; Ted Hurst went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They paid sticker price for Devin Moore in pick No. 94, and that is fine. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Treydan Stukes at slot 108 is the proof. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
No drama and no debate, Michael Trigg went about where he belonged in the Round 4 slot. The roster fit checks out.
Ja'Kobi Lane in the 115th overall pick is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Fair-plus on Justin Joly, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Drew Allar in No. 130 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value said wait; Taylen Green in Round 5, Pick 6 says they were not listening. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Dametrious Crownover in pick 149 lands just on the right side of the ledger. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Zxavian Harris in pick No. 151; it is a wash and a sensible one. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tanner Koziol at the 170th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Demond Claiborne slid further than he should have, and the Round 5 slot is lovely value for the running back. It fills a real need, too.
By-the-book stuff, Domani Jackson at the 173rd overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jeff Caldwell. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Red Murdock is a better player than Round 6, Pick 26 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Lander Barton in No. 211 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A real head-scratcher, Isaiah Jatta in Round 6, Pick 34 is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wild overpay on Bryce Foster in the 218th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Robert Spears-Jennings at slot 220 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Adam Randall well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Caleb Douglas this early at pick 231. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Eric Gentry at the 238th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Joshua Braun in No. 239, miles early. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Micah Morris at pick No. 241 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached into another round for Enrique Cruz Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Diego Pounds. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached a country mile for Marvin Jones Jr. at slot 256, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Keaten Wade at the 257th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.