A-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins worked the phones like thieves and earned a A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 29 picks
· 6 steals
· 12 reaches
It is the swing that defines the weekend: Eric Gentry in pick 221, a good 132 spots before the room expected him.
The Golday pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They covered a lot of ground and still skipped running back, which is a strange place to end up.
The Dolphins indulged a want in Moore while a need in running back stayed open.
It is a haul that will look even better come September.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 24 they get an anchor for the offensive line at fair value. A real need, handled.
In No. 30 they get a true top target. The biggest hole, addressed.
Value with a capital V on Keionte Scott in pick No. 72, a genuine coup. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing Jacob Rodriguez in the 89th overall pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Circle this one: Jake Golday at slot 92 is a fall that decides a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Devin Moore in pick 94 leaves running back for later.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Ja'Kobi Lane at Round 4, Pick 7. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Michael Trigg in slot 111. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A tidy bit of business in pick 112, where Bud Clark graded well above the range. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
By-the-book stuff, Harold Perkins Jr. at the 126th overall pick squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eli Raridon in the Round 4 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A need, and now a little less of one.
A reach on Dametrious Crownover in No. 130; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Zxavian Harris in pick No. 151 is fair value, right on his grade. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Drew Allar at the 163rd pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid up for Eli Heidenreich at the 214th pick when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Eric Gentry in pick 221, miles early. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Marvin Jones Jr. in No. 227 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Owen Heinecke at slot 238 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. The roster reasoning here is anyone's guess.
Robert Spears-Jennings at the Round 7 slot is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
A tidy little value on Isaiah Jatta in the 240th overall pick, a step better than break-even. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
No edge and no loss on Bryce Foster in Round 7, Pick 25; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A straight-up fair deal on Nolan Rucci at pick No. 245, value and slot in agreement. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Logan Taylor in No. 246 is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It fills a real need, too.
A premium they did not need to pay, Tristan Leigh a notch or two before his time. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on Daevin Hobbs at the 249th overall pick that the board grades a round light. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Keaten Wade in the 251st pick is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Korey Foreman at slot 252 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A big swing on Joshua Braun at Round 7, Pick 40, well ahead of any board in the building. It fills a real need, too.
A wild overpay on Riley Mahlman in pick No. 257, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.