B-
Miami Dolphins
Nobody dealt better than the Dolphins this weekend: B-.
by Reheheheheh ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 45 picks
· 34 steals
· 8 reaches
The tape said wait; the Dolphins did not. Keanu Koht went at pick 212, a good 231 picks before the board was ready.
If one pick saves this weekend, it is Johnson. Every deal seemed to tilt their way, which is not luck.
With quarterback and tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get protection for the quarterback. A clean fit for the roster.
Rueben Bain Jr. in No. 27 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
In the 30th pick they get a ballhawk on the outside, outstanding value to boot. Need was not the driver here.
Steal is underselling it; Spencer Fano at pick No. 43 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Olaivavega Ioane at Round 2, Pick 25 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A need, and now a little less of one.
You do not let a wide receiver like Jordyn Tyson reach slot 58 and blink. They did not. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A curious use of No. 60. Quarterback and tight end needed the pick; a cornerback in Colton Hood did not.
Fair-plus on Derrick Moore, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Ted Hurst in the Round 3 slot is early enough to raise a brow, if not a full objection. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Makai Lemon in the 76th overall pick is the kind of fall that makes a whole class. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A surprising call. With quarterback and tight end still to address, they spent Round 3, Pick 21 on Avieon Terrell, a cornerback they were not short of.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Jermod McCoy in slot 87 leaves quarterback and tight end for later.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Max Iheanachor in pick No. 89, plain and simple. The roster fit checks out.
They jumped the gun on Ja'Kobi Lane, taking him earlier than his grade liked. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Kayden McDonald in pick No. 94 is a gift, value that borders on unfair. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
The board fumbled KC Concepcion all the way to pick 98, and they scooped it up. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bryce Lance at the 99th pick nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They barely believed it either: Drew Shelton still on the board at Round 4, Pick 14. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Patrick Payton at the Round 4 slot is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They bypassed pressing needs at quarterback and tight end to take Chris Johnson, a cornerback that was not the priority.
They robbed the room for A.J. Haulcy here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Circle this one: Dani Dennis-Sutton at slot 130 is a fall that decides a draft. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
A want over a need in the Round 4 slot: Devin Moore adds a cornerback while quarterback and tight end keeps waiting.
Jalen Farmer at No. 135 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The eyebrow-raiser of the weekend. They went safety with Genesis Smith while clear needs at quarterback and tight end sat open.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending pick 138 on Tacario Davis with quarterback and tight end unsolved.
They zigged when the board said zag, taking Davison Igbinosun at cornerback with quarterback and tight end open.
Value said wait; Jordan Hudson in slot 151 says they were not listening. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Caden Curry at Round 5, Pick 13 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had Charles Demmings higher than the 161st pick, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Deven Eastern this early at slot 178. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They talked themselves into Vincent Anthony Jr. at No. 191, and the board did not agree. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nice patience on Matt Gulbin, who had no business lasting to pick No. 197. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Keagen Trost slipping to Round 6, Pick 17 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They stopped a slide they were happy to see, landing VJ Payne in pick 202. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
A wild overpay on Keanu Koht in the Round 6 slot, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nolan Rucci at the 216th overall pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Thaddeus Dixon slid further than he should have, and the 224th pick is lovely value for the cornerback. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
A tidy bit of business in pick 227, where Kaelon Black graded well above the range. It fills a real need, too.
Value with a capital V on Jimmy Rolder in No. 230, a genuine coup. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Aiden Fisher at the Round 7 slot is money in the bank, a linebacker taken below his worth. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They let Lander Barton come to them and pounced at Round 7, Pick 22. A need, and now a little less of one.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Andre Fuller at slot 239 is the proof. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Dane Key at pick No. 241 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A slide stopped in the 247th pick, with Jaydn Ott worth more than the price. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.