D+
Miami Dolphins
A franchise passer in Ward headlines a D+ weekend for the Dolphins.
by Dubdiiddy331 ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 10 steals
· 3 reaches
Some picks age like wine; Shilo Sanders at the 154th pick will need to, sitting 96 spots clear of his grade.
They banked enough surplus on King to cover a lot of smaller sins. Overpaying at the table undid a lot of the good work elsewhere.
The whole projection now runs through Cam Ward; hit there and everything else looks smarter. It is not that Fitzgerald is a bad player; it is that the Dolphins had louder needs to answer first.
For all the activity, wide receiver went untouched, which is hard to explain.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and wide receiver is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick 12 they get the face of the franchise at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In No. 25 they get a rangy last line of defense at a price that makes it sweeter.
Tate Ratledge in slot 37 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It fills a real need, too.
A wild overpay on Ajani Cornelius in the 48th overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A need, and now a little less of one.
A linebacker of that caliber at the Round 3 slot is the definition of value, full stop. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Demetrius Knight Jr. in pick No. 73 is a bargain the rest of the room will envy. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A top-tier tight end at a bargain, Colston Loveland in No. 98, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
Value said wait; Rylie Mills in the Round 4 slot says they were not listening. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went specialist with Ryan Fitzgerald while clear needs at wide receiver and edge rusher sat open.
Taking Quinshon Judkins in the 142nd pick is close to grand larceny; a running back that good had no business lasting this long. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Lathan Ransom in pick 149 is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Shilo Sanders. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
Jake Majors in slot 178 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Chris Paul Jr. at Round 6, Pick 37 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
They robbed the room for Kobe King here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Tonka Hemingway in the 231st overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; James Burnip at pick No. 252 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.