B-
Miami Dolphins
A costly weekend of dealing drags the Dolphins to a B-.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 4 steals
· 9 reaches
There was a run on nobody at that position, and the Dolphins started one anyway for Deven Eastern, 40 picks ahead of schedule.
The Slaughter pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose.
The linebacker hole is the one line item this class does not answer. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the linebacker spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback, even if it was a touch early. A real need, handled.
Omar Cooper Jr. in No. 62 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Lee Hunter in pick No. 69 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
The board fumbled Jake Slaughter all the way to the 87th overall pick, and they scooped it up. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid up for Michael Trigg at pick 90 when waiting would have done the job. The roster fit checks out.
Nadame Tucker at Round 4, Pick 30 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid a round early for Louis Moore in No. 151, more than the board wanted. It adds depth where they could use a little.
J'Mari Taylor at the Round 5 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board had cheaper options than Taylen Green at the 167th pick, and it noticed. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They reached into another round for Sawyer Robertson, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Josh Cameron in pick No. 211 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nick Barrett well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Deven Eastern at slot 241, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
You do not let a cornerback like Charles Demmings reach pick 247 and blink. They did not. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.