B-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins worked the phones like thieves and earned a B-.
by dfgdfg ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 4 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Dolphins spent pick 75 on Jaishawn Barham, a name the board had a full 53 spots lower.
The trade ledger is the best part of the whole weekend. Bernard falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. That quarterback hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall.
The Dolphins indulged a want in Ponds while a need in quarterback, running back and other spots stayed open.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
A market-rate wide receiver, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Jordyn Tyson. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a downhill hitter at safety. Need was not the driver here.
They took Chris Johnson at par in the 33rd overall pick, which is nothing to complain about. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking D'Angelo Ponds at cornerback with quarterback, running back and other spots open.
A reach on Eli Stowers in the 44th pick; the board had better options right there. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Jaishawn Barham in slot 75 says they were not listening. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Germie Bernard at the 87th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Domonique Orange at the 90th pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A straight-up fair deal on Brenen Thompson at pick 94, value and slot in agreement. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending Round 4, Pick 30 on Jakobe Thomas with quarterback, running back and other spots unsolved.
Kaleb Elarms-Orr in the Round 5 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jeff Caldwell is a better player than pick No. 201 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.