B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 22 picks
· 9 steals
· 9 reaches
Nobody had Jeff Caldwell this high, and it is not close. The Dolphins reached 131 spots to get him at Round 2, Pick 23. They moved the roster forward and banked a B for it.
They banked enough surplus on McNeil-Warren to cover a lot of smaller sins. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class.
They will answer for taking cornerback early while edge rusher went begging. The edge rusher hole is the one line item this class does not answer.
A tidy weekend of work that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
They paid sticker price for Carnell Tate in No. 13, and that is fine. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
In slot 30 they get a No. 1 receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Jeff Caldwell this early at pick No. 55. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Anthony Hill Jr. in Round 2, Pick 29 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eli Stowers at pick 75 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It fills a real need, too.
You do not let a cornerback like Keionte Scott reach the Round 3 slot and blink. They did not. A minor itch, scratched.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Jacob Rodriguez at the Round 3 slot. The roster fit checks out.
Circle this one: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at No. 95 is a fall that decides a draft. Useful depth more than a marquee fix.
They bypassed pressing needs at edge rusher to take Devin Moore, a cornerback that was not the priority.
Sam Roush at the 123rd pick is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A need, and now a little less of one.
No drama and no debate, Eli Raridon went about where he belonged in slot 128. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Drew Allar, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A market-rate interior defensive lineman, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Zxavian Harris. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 157, where Isaiah World graded well above the range. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A cornerback of that caliber at pick No. 198 is the definition of value, full stop. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
A big swing on Bryce Foster at pick 202, well ahead of any board in the building. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nolan Rucci well ahead of where he belonged. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached a country mile for Logan Taylor at the 227th pick, and the board is aghast. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Joshua Braun in slot 238, miles early. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Riley Mahlman in No. 246 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Adam Randall at the 256th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The roster fit checks out.
They talked themselves into Micah Morris at Round 7, Pick 41, and the board did not agree. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.