B
Miami Dolphins
A respectable, level-headed haul for the Dolphins: B.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 9 steals
· 5 reaches
When the story of this class is written, it opens with Drew Allar at slot 94, a reach of 62 spots that the board flatly disagrees with. Call it a sensible B, earned the boring way.
Bernard at that cost is the sort of edge that compounds over a roster. With edge rusher unsolved, spending premium capital on cornerback is the choice that costs them.
The edge rusher spot stays a question, and it was the one they most needed an answer at. The roster is better shaped than it was, with quarterback chief among the fixes.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
No edge and no loss on Caleb Banks in the 43rd overall pick; it is a wash and a sensible one. 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 Dontay Corleone. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
They will replay Keionte Scott at slot 80 for years; that is how good the value is. A minor itch, scratched.
Harold Perkins Jr. at the 90th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
They paid a round early for Nicholas Singleton in the Round 3 slot, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
Germie Bernard in pick 92 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Drew Allar in the Round 3 slot, miles early. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Steal is underselling it; Ted Hurst at pick No. 112 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They robbed the room for Zakee Wheatley here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. A minor need, but a need all the same.
Taking Ja'Kobi Lane in pick 122 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A surprising call. With edge rusher still to address, they spent the 130th pick on Davison Igbinosun, a cornerback they were not short of.
Dametrious Crownover slid further than he should have, and Round 5, Pick 11 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Domani Jackson slipping to the 189th overall pick is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Riley Nowakowski in slot 221 is fine work, a shade of surplus and no downside. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Nick Barrett this early at the Round 7 slot. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They let Lander Barton come to them and pounced at the 238th overall pick. It fills a real need, too.
Trey Zuhn III at pick No. 250 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.