B+
Miami Dolphins
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Dolphins a B+.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 34 picks
· 7 steals
· 21 reaches
The Dolphins bet big and early on Korey Foreman, 138 picks ahead of the board. Bold does not always mean right.
The Haulcy steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
The veteran additions, Tyler Guyton chief among them, give the class a floor the rookies alone would not.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 30th pick they get a go-to option on the outside at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
Jake Slaughter at the 59th overall pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the offensive lineman. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: A.J. Haulcy at pick No. 84 is a fall that decides a draft. A minor itch, scratched.
The board had Jacob Rodriguez higher than Round 3, Pick 23, and the linebacker fell to them anyway. It fills a real need, too.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Dametrious Crownover. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Isaiah World at pick 90 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A need, and now a little less of one.
Taking Jake Golday in the Round 3 slot is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A slide stopped in No. 106, with Sam Roush worth more than the price. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They robbed the room for Ja'Kobi Lane here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on DeMonte Capehart. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They reached into another round for Drew Allar, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Charles Demmings in the 151st overall pick is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Jalen Farmer in pick No. 152 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Zxavian Harris in the 158th pick. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Patrick Payton well ahead of where he belonged. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Value with a capital V on Jeff Caldwell in the Round 6 slot, a genuine coup. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They paid a round early for Jimmy Rolder in Round 6, Pick 20, more than the board wanted. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Lander Barton at the 214th overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They paid up for Eli Heidenreich at pick 220 when waiting would have done the job. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They went early on Isaiah Jatta in pick No. 227, and the value did not follow. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A big swing on Marvin Jones Jr. at slot 228, well ahead of any board in the building. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Daevin Hobbs at No. 229 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Keaten Wade at pick 234 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Korey Foreman in Round 7, Pick 19, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Bryce Foster at the 238th pick is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A reach for Nolan Rucci in No. 239; a little patience would have been rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Logan Taylor at the Round 7 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They talked themselves into Joshua Braun at the 242nd overall pick, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Micah Morris this early at pick No. 244. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board fumbled Thaddeus Dixon all the way to slot 246, and they scooped it up. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A straight-up fair deal on Robert Spears-Jennings at the 249th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
A wild overpay on Adam Randall in pick 254, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached a country mile for Riley Mahlman at Round 7, Pick 40, and the board is aghast. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A real head-scratcher, Colbie Young in the Round 7 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.