B
Miami Dolphins
Good, not great, for the Dolphins: B.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 26 picks
· 3 steals
· 19 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with Noah Thomas at slot 245, a reach of 112 spots that the board flatly disagrees with. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B.
Landing Golday that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. A whole weekend of picks and interior defensive lineman is somehow still a want. The Dolphins paired the rookies with proven help, Taylor Moton leading the way.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but interior defensive lineman.
Pick-by-Pick
Eli Stowers at slot 75 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Ted Hurst at the 87th pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
No edge and no loss on Devin Moore in No. 90; it is a wash and a sensible one. A minor itch, scratched.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Mason Reiger well ahead of where he belonged. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Demond Claiborne in the Round 3 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jake Golday at pick No. 116 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A slide stopped in pick No. 126, with Michael Trigg worth more than the price. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A real head-scratcher, Drew Allar in the 130th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They reached a country mile for Taylen Green at Round 5, Pick 22, and the board is aghast. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They paid a round early for Domani Jackson in slot 165, more than the board wanted. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
By-the-book stuff, Jeff Caldwell at pick 182 squarely in line with his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Patrick Payton at No. 189 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Value said wait; Owen Heinecke in the 209th overall pick says they were not listening. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
No drama and no debate, Jimmy Rolder went about where he belonged in the Round 6 slot. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Isaiah Jatta in No. 215, miles early. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Bryce Foster this early at the Round 7 slot. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Nolan Rucci at pick No. 227 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They reached into another round for Logan Taylor, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The roster fit checks out.
Adam Randall at the 238th overall pick is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. It fills a real need, too.
Joshua Braun at the 239th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A need, and now a little less of one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Riley Mahlman. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A wild overpay on Enrique Cruz Jr. in Round 7, Pick 25, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A need, and now a little less of one.
A big swing on Noah Thomas at No. 245, well ahead of any board in the building. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Hykeem Williams in the 246th pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They talked themselves into Micah Morris at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Eric Gentry in slot 257 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.