C+
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: C+.
by Cashydemon ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 3 steals
· 17 reaches
The Dolphins put a flag in the ground for Zach Calzada, 204 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit. A weekend of give and take that grades a C+.
Jackson falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. The Dolphins indulged a want in Wilson while a need in running back stayed open.
They punted on running back, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest.
In the end, one you will need a couple of seasons to truly judge.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 11 they get the heartbeat of the defense. A real need, handled.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get an enforcer at safety, though the board says they badly overpaid. More want than need.
A wild overpay on Zxavian Harris in the 43rd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Albert Regis at the 75th pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A cornerback of that caliber at the Round 3 slot is the definition of value, full stop. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A real head-scratcher, Josh Cameron in pick No. 90 is miles ahead of his ranking. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Wesley Bissainthe in No. 94 is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Aiden Fisher at pick No. 130 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Hard to square with the roster. With positions of obvious need still on the board, Jerry Wilson adds a cornerback and leaves running back untouched.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Nyjalik Kelly in pick 151, miles early. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Tristan Leigh in the Round 5 slot is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Anez Cooper slipping to slot 191 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; RJ Maryland in the 198th pick says they were not listening. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Xavier Nwankpa at the 202nd overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They will replay Domani Jackson at pick 227 for years; that is how good the value is. It is more luxury than necessity; they were already set here.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Zach Calzada. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
J. Michael Sturdivant at slot 232 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Raheem Anderson II well ahead of where he belonged. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Matthew Hibner this early at No. 247. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They reached a country mile for Ethan O'Connor at pick No. 251, and the board is aghast. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They talked themselves into Dominic Zvada at the Round 7 slot, and the board did not agree. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.