B-
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins kept it disciplined and banked a B-.
by ORRZ04 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 11 picks
· 3 steals
· 2 reaches
It is a puzzling start. The Dolphins had linebacker to solve and reached instead for Treydan Stukes, a cornerback, at slot 94. A sturdy weekend that grades out a B-.
Raridon falling to them is the kind of break a good board is built to catch. They punted on linebacker, and it is the miss that keeps the grade honest. They are betting Smith proves the room right and everyone else wrong.
In sum, a sensible class that nudges the roster the right way.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 11 they get a weapon on the perimeter at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 30th pick they get a ballhawk on the outside, and a steal at that. Need was not the driver here.
No edge and no loss on Gennings Dunker in the Round 2 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No drama and no debate, Garrett Nussmeier went about where he belonged in slot 75. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Good price on Dani Dennis-Sutton in pick 87, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had cheaper options than Genesis Smith at pick No. 90, and it noticed. A minor need, but a need all the same.
The needs board was loud and they turned it down, spending Round 3, Pick 30 on Treydan Stukes with linebacker unsolved.
They paid up for Chris McClellan at No. 130 when waiting would have done the job. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Eli Raridon at the 151st overall pick is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
A slide stopped in the Round 7 slot, with Zavion Thomas worth more than the price. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Nothing to complain about; Jaydn Ott went a shade earlier than his grade, which is fine. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.