C-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins let Slaughter fall into their laps, and walked away with a C-.
by dagray08 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 19 picks
· 14 steals
· 2 reaches
Call it larceny. Jake Slaughter sat on the board until Round 4, Pick 12, and the Dolphins did not need to be asked twice.
They will need Tucker to outplay his draft slot in a hurry to justify it. The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
The Ponds pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at quarterback.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 18th pick they get a go-to option on the outside at a price that makes it sweeter. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In slot 30 they get a press-man option on the boundary, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
Kenyon Sadiq in No. 43 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A need, and now a little less of one.
They let A.J. Haulcy come to them and pounced at pick 66. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Caleb Tiernan at the 87th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 3 slot, where Keylan Rutledge graded well above the range. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A curious use of Round 3, Pick 28. Quarterback needed the pick; a cornerback in D'Angelo Ponds did not.
The board fumbled Germie Bernard all the way to pick No. 94, and they scooped it up. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Malachi Fields at pick 108 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They barely believed it either: Jake Slaughter still on the board at the 112th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Nadame Tucker. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A wild overpay on Trey Moore in the 140th pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Gracen Halton is a better player than No. 142 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Oscar Delp at Round 5, Pick 11 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Demond Claiborne in pick No. 170. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Bryce Boettcher slid further than he should have, and the Round 6 slot is lovely value for the linebacker. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate running back, with the board and the slot shaking hands on J'Mari Taylor. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A tidy little value on Landon Robinson in Round 7, Pick 11, a step better than break-even. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A slide stopped in pick No. 228, with Harrison Wallace III worth more than the price. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.