B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins won the weekend at the trade table. Grade: B.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 7 steals
· 9 reaches
The Patrick Payton selection is the head-turner. The Dolphins reached 95 spots for him, and it will define how this weekend is remembered. Nothing here to lose sleep over; call it a B.
They won the margins on every swap, and it adds up fast. Haulcy falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. With quarterback and tight end unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them.
If this class has a fault line, it runs straight through quarterback.
Add it up and it is a good, unfussy class.
Pick-by-Pick
Fair-plus on Carnell Tate, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
In the 19th pick they get a building block for the line, even if it was a touch early. A real need, handled.
In the Round 1 slot they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter.
Dontay Corleone at pick 43 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They will replay A.J. Haulcy at Round 3, Pick 11 for years; that is how good the value is. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
A tidy bit of business in No. 87, where Malachi Fields graded well above the range. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A real head-scratcher, Harold Perkins Jr. in the 90th pick is miles ahead of his ranking. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid up for Nicholas Singleton at No. 92 when waiting would have done the job. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Steal is underselling it; Domonique Orange at the 94th overall pick is a heist with the alarm still ringing. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for CJ Daniels. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nice patience on Malik Muhammad, who had no business lasting to pick 112. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
A reach on Parker Brailsford in pick No. 119; the board had better options right there. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending the Round 4 slot on Davison Igbinosun with quarterback and tight end unsolved.
Dametrious Crownover slid further than he should have, and slot 151 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Patrick Payton at pick No. 152 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Jack Pyburn well ahead of where he belonged. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Robert Spears-Jennings in the Round 7 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.