B-
Miami Dolphins
More right than wrong for the Dolphins, and a B- to prove it.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 5 steals
· 6 reaches
The Dolphins bet big and early on Eric Gentry, 116 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right. They moved the roster forward and banked a B- for it.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Bernard. The dealing tilted against them, just enough to notice. The hoard sets up next April more than it helps this September.
They left with quarterback solved and the rest of the wish list mostly ticked off.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
A premium they did not need to pay, Emmanuel Pregnon a notch or two before his time. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They paid sticker price for Joshua Josephs in Round 2, Pick 11, and that is fine. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Keionte Scott at slot 75 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A big swing on Michael Trigg at pick No. 90, well ahead of any board in the building. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Germie Bernard in the 94th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Treydan Stukes at the 120th pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Justin Joly slid further than he should have, and slot 130 is lovely value for the tight end. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Zxavian Harris in No. 151 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Drew Allar in pick 155 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
No drama and no debate, Demond Claiborne went about where he belonged in Round 5, Pick 22. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
By-the-book stuff, Domani Jackson at pick No. 170 squarely in line with his ranking. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
Steal is underselling it; Jeff Caldwell at the 211th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Lander Barton at the Round 7 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Eric Gentry in the 236th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Robert Spears-Jennings. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Enrique Cruz Jr. in the 255th pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Riley Mahlman well ahead of where he belonged. A need, and now a little less of one.