A-
Miami Dolphins
Nobody dealt better than the Dolphins this weekend: A-.
by [email protected] ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 5 steals
· 9 reaches
The Dolphins went off the board in a big way for Nadame Tucker, 59 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. Cameron falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch.
The veteran additions, Matt Goncalves chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Few war rooms will sleep better than this one tonight.
Pick-by-Pick
Chris Johnson at pick 45 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. A minor itch, scratched.
Dillon Thieneman slipping to the Round 2 slot is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
Jake Slaughter in the 59th pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A tidy bit of business in slot 62, where Eli Stowers graded well above the range. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Michael Trigg at Round 3, Pick 11 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They talked themselves into Caden Curry at No. 78, and the board did not agree. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy little value on Skyler Bell in Round 3, Pick 30, a step better than break-even. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Julian Neal in pick No. 111 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Nadame Tucker in the Round 4 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on Louis Moore in the 168th pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
This one needs a full-page explanation: J'Mari Taylor in slot 173, miles early. The roster fit checks out.
Good price on Reggie Virgil in pick 174, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Taylen Green at the 187th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Josh Cameron in No. 207, plain and simple. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Sawyer Robertson at the 209th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nice patience on Eric McAlister, who had no business lasting to slot 211. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A big swing on Nick Barrett at the 215th overall pick, well ahead of any board in the building. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Keyshaun Elliott in pick 220 is fair value, right on his grade. A need, and now a little less of one.
Deven Eastern at the Round 7 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Kalil Alexander at pick No. 231 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Jack Kelly, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach on Josh Moten in Round 7, Pick 37; the board had better options right there. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.