A-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins worked the phones like thieves and earned a A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 28 picks
· 18 steals
· 7 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with Eric Gentry at the 211th pick, a reach of 142 spots that the board flatly disagrees with. The sum of the weekend is a deserved A-.
Landing Golday that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. The Dolphins clearly valued win-now help, adding bodies who have done it before.
On the needs board they went 8 of 8, with quarterback the one that mattered most.
In the end it comes back to Emmanuel Pregnon, and a haul good enough to build on right away.
Pick-by-Pick
The board had Emmanuel Pregnon higher than pick 49, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
CJ Allen at No. 63 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Jake Slaughter at slot 69 is the proof. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A top-tier safety at a bargain, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren in Round 3, Pick 11, plain and simple. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
They robbed the room for Christen Miller here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Eli Stowers at the Round 3 slot is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They let Jacob Rodriguez come to them and pounced at No. 87. It fills a real need, too.
No edge and no loss on Devin Moore in the 90th overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Somehow Mike Washington Jr. was still sitting there in slot 94, and they pounced on premier running back value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Taking Jake Golday in pick No. 97 is close to grand larceny; an edge rusher that good had no business lasting this long. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A safety of that caliber at the Round 4 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Ted Hurst in the 118th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Ja'Kobi Lane in Round 4, Pick 25 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Tacario Davis in pick 130 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
A slide stopped in pick No. 151, with Eli Raridon worth more than the price. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Zxavian Harris slipping to slot 163 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Marlin Klein graded well above the range. A need, and now a little less of one.
Cole Payton at pick 191 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Nice patience on Jeff Caldwell, who had no business lasting to the 196th overall pick. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
VJ Payne in No. 205 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
Eric Gentry at the 211th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A conviction pick on Lander Barton at Round 6, Pick 34 that the board grades a round light. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
The board had cheaper options than Owen Heinecke at No. 220, and it noticed. The roster fit checks out.
Marvin Jones Jr. in pick No. 223 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Adam Randall in the Round 7 slot, miles early. It fills a real need, too.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Joey Aguilar well ahead of where he belonged. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They paid sticker price for Isaiah Jatta in pick 235, and that is fine. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They jumped the gun on Nolan Rucci, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.