B-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins checked most of the boxes and earned a B-.
by RJF ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 12 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
Nobody else had Taylen Green anywhere near the 162nd pick. The Dolphins did, by 32 spots, and that gap is the whole story.
The Payne pick alone nudges the whole weekend up a notch. They will answer for taking cornerback early while edge rusher and running back went begging. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
Quarterback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but edge rusher.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get a three-down second-level presence. A clean fit for the roster.
Dillon Thieneman in pick No. 30 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Brandon Cisse in pick 43. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
By-the-book stuff, Keylan Rutledge at the Round 3 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A curious use of the 87th pick. Edge rusher and running back needed the pick; a cornerback in Keionte Scott did not.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Elijah Sarratt at Round 3, Pick 26. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A market-rate tight end, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Sam Roush. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Kaleb Proctor in slot 116 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Taylen Green in Round 5, Pick 22, miles early. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Eric McAlister at the 211th pick is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
VJ Payne at the 227th overall pick is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Good price on TJ Hall in pick 238, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.