B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins checked most of the boxes and earned a B.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 3 steals
· 9 reaches
You can fall in love with a player. You are not supposed to marry him in the wrong round. The Dolphins did exactly that with Eric Gentry in pick 238. The bottom line is a respectable B.
Stowers at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 11 they get a bell-cow for the offense, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
In the 31st overall pick they get protection for the quarterback, though they paid up to get him. A real need, handled.
They jumped the gun on Derrick Moore, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Somehow Eli Stowers was still sitting there in pick 75, and they pounced on premier tight end value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid sticker price for Ted Hurst in pick No. 87, and that is fine. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Devin Moore in Round 3, Pick 26 is fair value, right on his grade. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
By-the-book stuff, Michael Trigg at No. 110 squarely in line with his ranking. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Demond Claiborne this early at the 113th pick. It fills a real need, too.
They reached a country mile for Nyjalik Kelly at slot 130, and the board is aghast. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A slide stopped in Round 5, Pick 11, with Dametrious Crownover worth more than the price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A reach for Taylen Green in the Round 5 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jeff Caldwell at pick 189 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy little value on VJ Payne in the 199th overall pick, a step better than break-even. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Robert Spears-Jennings in pick No. 227 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They reached into another round for Eric Gentry, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Joshua Braun in Round 7, Pick 31 is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Enrique Cruz Jr. in the 256th pick, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.