A-
Miami Dolphins
The steal of the weekend belongs to the Dolphins and Stowers: A-.
by Fins1981 ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 24 picks
· 10 steals
· 9 reaches
The value of the weekend has a name and a slot: Eli Stowers, pick 89, roughly 36 picks past where he belonged.
They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own. The Allar reach is the anchor dragging on the value grade.
The Dolphins paired the rookies with proven help, Antoine Winfield Jr. leading the way.
Bottom line, with Omar Cooper Jr. leading the way, this is a class that should pay off fast and rarely be regretted.
Pick-by-Pick
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a matchup problem out wide. The biggest hole, addressed.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Emmanuel Pregnon in the 47th pick. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Value with a capital V on Caleb Banks in the Round 2 slot, a genuine coup. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
Emmanuel McNeil-Warren at pick No. 80 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
You do not let a tight end like Eli Stowers reach the 89th overall pick and blink. They did not. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Quietly one of the better values of the day, Max Klare at slot 90. It fills a real need, too.
Jake Golday at pick 94 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Steal is underselling it; Ja'Kobi Lane at No. 113 is a heist with the alarm still ringing. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
No drama and no debate, Mike Washington Jr. went about where he belonged in the Round 4 slot. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They paid sticker price for Harold Perkins Jr. in pick 129, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
A real head-scratcher, Drew Allar in No. 130 is miles ahead of his ranking. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
Dametrious Crownover slipping to slot 147 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A tidy bit of business in pick No. 151, where Isaiah World graded well above the range. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Charles Demmings is a better player than Round 5, Pick 15 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Jalen Farmer in the 157th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A slide stopped in the 197th pick, with Ephesians Prysock worth more than the price. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Lander Barton at the 205th pick is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The roster fit checks out.
A conviction pick on Xavier Nwankpa at pick 214 that the board grades a round light. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They paid a round early for Isaiah Jatta in Round 7, Pick 11, more than the board wanted. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Owen Heinecke at the 231st overall pick is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. It fits a board better than it fits this team.
Bryce Foster at slot 238 is a conviction pick that outran the value. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach on Nolan Rucci in pick No. 239; the board had better options right there. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reach for Logan Taylor in the Round 7 slot; a little patience would have been rewarded. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
They reached into another round for Adam Randall, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.