B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins did the meat-and-potatoes work well: B.
by RJF ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
Somewhere a scout is still blinking. The Dolphins spent the 151st pick on Taylen Green, a name the board had a full 40 spots lower. Solid and sensible more than spectacular: a B.
They banked enough surplus on Slaughter to cover a lot of smaller sins. The Abney II pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at running back.
For all the activity, running back went untouched, which is hard to explain.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but running back.
Pick-by-Pick
In slot 24 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
In the 30th pick they get a lockdown presence outside at a price that makes it sweeter. More want than need.
By-the-book stuff, Anthony Hill Jr. at the Round 2 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
They paid up for Malachi Lawrence at Round 2, Pick 11 when waiting would have done the job. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A want over a need in the 70th overall pick: Keith Abney II adds a cornerback while running back keeps waiting.
A.J. Haulcy at No. 75 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
They will replay Jake Slaughter at Round 3, Pick 23 for years; that is how good the value is. The roster fit checks out.
Nice patience on Malachi Fields, who had no business lasting to the 90th pick. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Elijah Sarratt slid further than he should have, and No. 94 is lovely value for the wide receiver. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kaleb Proctor at the 130th overall pick is right where the board had him, plain and simple. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Taylen Green at slot 151 is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Toriano Pride Jr. is a better player than pick 227 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
They did well to land Jaren Kanak in the Round 7 slot, just ahead of his grade. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 248, where Zavion Thomas graded well above the range. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.