B-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins won the night they stopped Slaughter from sliding. Grade: B-.
by RJF ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 14 picks
· 8 steals
· 2 reaches
When a board-topper like Jake Slaughter slides to the Round 3 slot, you do not overthink it, and the Dolphins did not.
The Scott pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at edge rusher and running back. They punted on edge rusher, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. Reaching for Green left real value on the table behind him.
Solid rather than spectacular, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Pick-by-Pick
In the 11th overall pick they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at fair value. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick No. 30 they get a press-man option on the boundary at a price that makes it sweeter.
They read the board right and Dillon Thieneman was the payoff at Round 2, Pick 11. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Of all the spots to shop, they chose cornerback. Keionte Scott in pick 75 leaves edge rusher and running back for later.
You do not let a tight end like Eli Stowers reach No. 87 and blink. They did not. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Jake Slaughter in slot 91, plain and simple. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nothing to complain about; Ted Hurst went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Jude Bowry at the Round 4 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
The board had Skyler Gill-Howard higher than the 162nd overall pick, and the interior defensive lineman fell to them anyway. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Taylen Green well ahead of where he belonged. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Keyshaun Elliott in the 211th pick is the kind of reach that only looks good if he outplays it. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Taking Eric McAlister in Round 7, Pick 4 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A tidy little value on TJ Hall in pick 227, a step better than break-even. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Zavion Thomas at the Round 7 slot is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.