F
Miami Dolphins
The McGregor reach set a tone the Dolphins could not shake: F.
by BryanJohnson1996 ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 65 picks
· 14 steals
· 35 reaches
The Dolphins torched the value chart for Braiden McGregor, taking him 91 spots sooner than anyone had him slotted. About as rough as the board gets, and a F to prove it.
They lost the exchange badly enough to drag the whole class down. Landing Cowing that late papers over a lot of smaller sins. The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
There is no soft landing here; this class has to massively overperform just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
Patrick Paul at the Round 2 slot is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They took Jackson Powers-Johnson at par in pick 50, which is nothing to complain about. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Cooper Beebe at the 54th overall pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Edgerrin Cooper. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
No edge and no loss on Ja'Tavion Sanders in pick No. 59; it is a wash and a sensible one. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Adonai Mitchell at Round 2, Pick 29 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A quiet steal in pick 62: Denzel Burke for less than the market said. A quiet depth add at a thin-ish spot.
Mekhi Wingo at Round 2, Pick 31 jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid up for Christian Haynes at the 70th pick when waiting would have done the job. A need, and now a little less of one.
Rod Moore slid further than he should have, and slot 86 is lovely value for the safety. A minor itch, scratched.
Mohamed Kamara in the Round 3 slot is a reach so steep the board needed a second look to believe it. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They talked themselves into Tommy Eichenberg at No. 94, and the board did not agree. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
The board had cheaper options than Braelon Allen at pick No. 96, and it noticed. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Justin Eboigbe well ahead of where he belonged. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
A straight-up fair deal on Zak Zinter at pick 98, value and slot in agreement. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
By-the-book stuff, Tykee Smith at No. 100 squarely in line with his ranking. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Dallin Holker in Round 4, Pick 1 is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The roster fit checks out.
No drama and no debate, Tyler Davis went about where he belonged in pick No. 102. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Bucky Irving is a better player than the 105th pick suggests; smart patience, rewarded. It fills a real need, too.
Donovan Jackson at slot 107 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
They barely believed it either: Brenden Rice still on the board at the Round 4 slot. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Khyree Jackson in the 112th overall pick is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They added to a strength when a need was still open elsewhere.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Cedric Gray. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Leonard Taylor III at pick 114 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Jaheim Bell in pick No. 115, miles early. It fills a real need, too.
Value said wait; Jordan Travis in No. 119 says they were not listening. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Nelson Ceaser in the Round 4 slot is fair value, right on his grade. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Tyler Batty this early at the 121st pick. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
A wild overpay on Beaux Limmer in the 122nd overall pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A clean, defensible pick in slot 127 with a little surplus value in Ainias Smith. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Jalen McMillan was still sitting there in No. 128, and they pounced on premier wide receiver value. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
A big swing on Keith Randolph Jr. at the 131st pick, well ahead of any board in the building. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They reached a country mile for Braiden McGregor at slot 132, and the board is aghast. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Ty'Ron Hopper in the Round 4 slot is miles ahead of his ranking. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
They reached into another round for Jaylan Ford, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Curtis Jacobs at Round 5, Pick 2 is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. The roster fit checks out.
They went early on Drake Nugent in the 140th overall pick, and the value did not follow. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Sam Hartman at pick 142 is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
They paid sticker price for Ben Sinnott in the 143rd overall pick, and that is fine. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Michael Barrett in Round 5, Pick 8, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Fair-plus on Cam Hart, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
No drama and no debate, Jaylin Simpson went about where he belonged in slot 149. Pure best-available; the position was not exactly begging.
They jumped the gun on Moose Muhammad III, taking him earlier than his grade liked. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Justin Rogers at pick 156 is a clear overpay, with better names still on the board. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Austin Booker at the 159th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
They reached a country mile for Erick All at pick No. 161, and the board is aghast. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They took Jahdae Barron at par in slot 164, which is nothing to complain about. A luxury on a unit that was already in good shape.
Jacob Cowing in No. 166 should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in the Round 5 slot, where Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint graded well above the range. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They paid a round early for Layden Robinson in pick 168, more than the board wanted. The roster fit checks out.
They left a pile of value on the table to take Josh Proctor this early at the 170th overall pick. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They let Jaylen Wright come to them and pounced at Round 5, Pick 35. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
A slide stopped in pick No. 173, with Cedric Johnson worth more than the price. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Javon Baker at the 175th pick is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Jabbar Muhammad at the Round 6 slot is a steep price for a hunch, hard to square with any board. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
Taulia Tagovailoa at the 181st pick is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Omar Speights well ahead of where he belonged. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They talked themselves into Jonah Monheim at pick 189, and the board did not agree. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Value said wait; Brevyn Spann-Ford in pick No. 199 says they were not listening. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Zion Logue, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Taking Dominic Lovett in Round 7, Pick 23 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 top-tier offensive lineman at a bargain, Joshua Gray in slot 251, plain and simple. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A wide receiver of that caliber at pick No. 252 is the definition of value, full stop. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
The board screamed and they did not listen, reaching into the next round for Myles Cole. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Daequan Hardy at No. 254 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.