B+
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins worked the phones like thieves and earned a B+.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 27 picks
· 7 steals
· 9 reaches
There is conviction, and then there is this. The Dolphins took Eric Gentry a full 96 picks ahead of where the board had him, an overdraft steep enough that it colors the whole weekend. It nets out to a B+, which feels about right.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at.
Caldwell at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster.
In sum, a sturdy weekend with one asterisk, the edge rusher spot they never got to.
Pick-by-Pick
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jeremiyah Love at the 11th pick. It fills a real need, too.
In the Round 1 slot they get a true top target. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
They will replay Eli Stowers at pick 75 for years; that is how good the value is. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Value with a capital V on Mike Washington Jr. in slot 87, a genuine coup. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Max Klare in Round 3, Pick 27 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ted Hurst is a better player than pick No. 94 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Sam Roush in the 111th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Michael Trigg in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Fair-plus on Nicholas Singleton, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Dametrious Crownover in the 115th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Isaiah World at Round 4, Pick 30 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A need, and now a little less of one.
Drew Allar at No. 147 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach on Demond Claiborne in pick 151; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zxavian Harris. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They took Febechi Nwaiwu at par in the Round 5 slot, which is nothing to complain about. The roster fit checks out.
A clean, defensible pick in No. 180 with a little surplus value in Domani Jackson. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
A top-tier wide receiver at a bargain, Jeff Caldwell in pick No. 209, plain and simple. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Lander Barton at pick 220 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Owen Heinecke in the 227th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A straight-up fair deal on Jalen Huskey at the 232nd overall pick, value and slot in agreement. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
They paid sticker price for Trey Zuhn III in Round 7, Pick 22, and that is fine. It fills a real need, too.
Bryce Foster at slot 239 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on Logan Taylor at pick 241 that the board grades a round light. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
By-the-book stuff, Nolan Rucci at Round 7, Pick 35 squarely in line with his ranking. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Value said wait; Joshua Braun in the 252nd pick says they were not listening. A need, and now a little less of one.
A big swing on Enrique Cruz Jr. at the Round 7 slot, well ahead of any board in the building. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Eric Gentry at the 257th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.