A-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins turned the phones into found money: A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 28 picks
· 10 steals
· 9 reaches
Nobody else had Micah Morris anywhere near slot 257. The Dolphins did, by 67 spots, and that gap is the whole story.
Getting Golday where they did is the sort of value that quietly makes a class. The phones were where this weekend was really won. The Dolphins paired the rookies with proven help, Spencer Brown leading the way.
Add it up and this is about as clean as a draft weekend gets.
Pick-by-Pick
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in the 75th overall pick is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Jake Slaughter in Round 3, Pick 16 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It fills a real need, too.
A market-rate cornerback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Devin Moore. Depth more than a fix, but depth they can use.
Dametrious Crownover at pick No. 90 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Isaiah World in slot 91 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Jake Golday at the Round 3 slot is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Sam Roush still on the board at the 111th overall pick. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Zakee Wheatley in the Round 4 slot, plain and simple. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
Michael Trigg slipping to Round 4, Pick 15 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Ted Hurst at slot 120 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They read the board right and Justin Joly was the payoff at the 126th pick. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Eli Raridon in pick 130 is fair value, right on his grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
No drama and no debate, Zxavian Harris went about where he belonged in pick No. 151. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Drew Allar at No. 155 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jeff Caldwell well ahead of where he belonged. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Nothing to complain about; Jalen Farmer went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. The roster fit checks out.
Demond Claiborne at No. 165 is money in the bank, a running back taken below his worth. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
By-the-book stuff, Domani Jackson at the 170th pick squarely in line with his ranking. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They did well to land VJ Payne in pick 196, just ahead of his grade. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jimmy Rolder a notch or two before his time. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board had cheaper options than Lander Barton at pick No. 211, and it noticed. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
No edge and no loss on Charles Demmings in the Round 7 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Eli Heidenreich at pick 229 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A reach for Bryce Foster in Round 7, Pick 20; a little patience would have been rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
A reach on Nolan Rucci in slot 238; the board had better options right there. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Value with a capital V on Isaiah Jatta in the 246th pick, a genuine coup. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Joshua Braun at the 250th overall pick, and the board is aghast. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Micah Morris this early at the Round 7 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.