C+
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins bled value on every deal, hence the C+.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 5 steals
· 4 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 Caden Curry in the Round 3 slot.
That Slaughter pick is the receipt they will wave around later. They will answer for taking cornerback early while tight end and running back went begging.
The dealing is the wound this class cannot quite close. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped tight end, which is a strange place to end up.
Call it incomplete, and check back in a couple of seasons.
Pick-by-Pick
A tidy bit of business in Round 1, Pick 30, where Sonny Styles graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They read the board right and Chris Johnson was the payoff at No. 40. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
A market-rate offensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Max Iheanachor. It fills a real need, too.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Caden Curry. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A quiet steal in slot 87: Elijah Sarratt for less than the market said. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jake Slaughter in pick No. 90 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A want over a need in the 130th pick: Jalon Kilgore adds a cornerback while tight end and running back keeps waiting.
Fair-plus on Charles Demmings, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Cole Payton well ahead of where he belonged. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Nick Barrett in pick 227, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Jack Kelly at the 238th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.