C
Miami Dolphins
McNeil-Warren should have been long gone. The Dolphins pounced, and earned a C.
by dagray08 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 27 picks
· 18 steals
· 4 reaches
The Dolphins spent the weekend waiting on one name, and it fell: Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, the No. 51 name on the board, in pick No. 103. For now it grades a C, with the swing picks left to settle the rest.
The trades bled value they could not afford to lose. If Kamara pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
Not a disaster, not a triumph, just a middling class.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 22 they get an island corner. Need was not the driver here.
Chris Johnson at slot 43 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Depth on depth, at a spot that was hardly crying out.
Dillon Thieneman in pick 60 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Somehow Eli Stowers was still sitting there in Round 3, Pick 10, and they pounced on premier tight end value. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A tidy bit of business in the 75th pick, where Germie Bernard graded well above the range. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jake Slaughter in the 86th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A top-tier interior defensive lineman at a bargain, Lee Hunter in pick No. 87, plain and simple. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Kyle Louis in the Round 3 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Mike Washington Jr. is a better player than the Round 3 slot suggests; smart patience, rewarded. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A wide receiver of that caliber at No. 92 is the definition of value, full stop. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They will replay Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at slot 103 for years; that is how good the value is. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
The board had Austin Barber higher than the 123rd overall pick, and the offensive lineman fell to them anyway. The roster fit checks out.
A wild overpay on Mikail Kamara in Round 4, Pick 29, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Max Llewellyn in pick No. 130 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They barely believed it either: Ja'Kobi Lane still on the board at pick 132. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Nice patience on Justin Joly, who had no business lasting to the 136th pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking Carson Beck in the Round 4 slot is close to grand larceny; a quarterback that good had no business lasting this long. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
J.C. Davis slid further than he should have, and pick 150 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kaytron Allen at No. 151 is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the running back. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A straight-up fair deal on Rayshaun Benny at slot 152, value and slot in agreement. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They took Ar'maj Reed-Adams at par in Round 5, Pick 23, which is nothing to complain about. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Oscar Delp at pick No. 176 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A need, and now a little less of one.
Albert Regis slipping to the 177th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Red Murdock in the 180th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. It fills a real need, too.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Taylen Green at pick No. 196 is the proof. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A premium they did not need to pay, Jeremiah Wright a notch or two before his time. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They let Keyshaun Elliott come to them and pounced at the Round 7 slot. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.