D-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lost the trade table, and the D- tells the story.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 30 picks
· 6 steals
· 14 reaches
The Dolphins did not so much draft Eric Gentry as overpay for him, 128 picks clear of his grade. It sets an uneasy tone for the weekend.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. The quarterback hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
The Lew value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and quarterback is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 11 they get a lead back with juice, and a steal at that. A clean fit for the roster.
In No. 20 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
In pick No. 30 they get a true top target at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
Keionte Scott at the 64th overall pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. A minor need, but a need all the same.
They read the board right and Jacob Rodriguez was the payoff at Round 3, Pick 23. A need, and now a little less of one.
Circle this one: Eli Stowers at pick 89 is a fall that decides a draft. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They paid a round early for Markel Bell in the Round 3 slot, more than the board wanted. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Dametrious Crownover at the 91st pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Isaiah World in No. 108 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Taking Connor Lew in pick 114 is close to grand larceny; an offensive lineman that good had no business lasting this long. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They reached into another round for Jalen Farmer, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Bryce Lance in the 129th overall pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid sticker price for Eli Raridon in pick No. 130, and that is fine. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Zxavian Harris slipping to Round 5, Pick 20 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Patrick Payton in No. 165 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Domani Jackson in the 168th pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
A straight-up fair deal on Marlin Klein at pick No. 170, value and slot in agreement. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
By-the-book stuff, Jeff Caldwell at Round 6, Pick 3 squarely in line with his ranking. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
No edge and no loss on VJ Payne in the Round 6 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
Pat Coogan at slot 195 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It fills a real need, too.
They talked themselves into Adam Randall at the 220th overall pick, and the board did not agree. The roster fit checks out.
They reached a country mile for Eric Gentry at pick 225, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Marvin Jones Jr.. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Nolan Rucci at pick No. 229 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It fills a real need, too.
A tidy bit of business in the 238th pick, where Charles Demmings graded well above the range. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Logan Taylor at No. 239 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Anez Cooper in pick 241 is miles ahead of his ranking. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Micah Morris well ahead of where he belonged. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Joshua Braun at slot 256 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Riley Mahlman this early at the Round 7 slot. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.