B
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins fleeced the room on the phones and earned a B.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 6 steals
· 11 reaches
The Dolphins went off the board in a big way for Patrick Payton, 128 picks early. Conviction is one thing; this is another. No fireworks, but a solid B.
The phones were where this weekend was really won. The Fields steal is the beam this whole class leans on.
The imported veterans give this class a floor the draft picks could not on their own.
Not a headline-grabber, but a perfectly good weekend's work.
Pick-by-Pick
In the Round 1 slot they get a load in the middle at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
In the 30th pick they get a downhill thumper at linebacker, and a steal at that. A real need, handled.
No drama and no debate, A.J. Haulcy went about where he belonged in the 43rd overall pick. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Chase Bisontis at slot 55 is a conviction pick that outran the value. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A wild overpay on Nicholas Singleton in Round 3, Pick 11, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. A need, and now a little less of one.
They reached a country mile for Harold Perkins Jr. at pick No. 82, and the board is aghast. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Parker Brailsford well ahead of where he belonged. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
This one needs a full-page explanation: Isaiah World in slot 90, miles early. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Drew Allar at the Round 3 slot is the kind of overdraft that needs everything to break right. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Malachi Fields at the 99th pick is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
A real head-scratcher, Zane Durant in No. 112 is miles ahead of his ranking. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
They talked themselves into Patrick Payton at pick No. 119, and the board did not agree. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
They reached into another round for Logan Fano, and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
A tidy bit of business in Round 5, Pick 11, where CJ Daniels graded well above the range. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Somehow Oscar Delp was still sitting there in pick No. 152, and they pounced on premier tight end value. It shores up a spot that genuinely needed the help.
Charles Demmings at No. 158 is money in the bank, a cornerback taken below his worth. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
No edge and no loss on Domani Jackson in the Round 5 slot; it is a wash and a sensible one. Stacking talent where they were already deep.
Toriano Pride Jr. in the 204th overall pick is fair value, right on his grade. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.
They left a pile of value on the table to take J. Michael Sturdivant this early at slot 227. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They read the board right and Zavion Thomas was the payoff at pick 235. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
The board had cheaper options than Nick Barrett at the 238th pick, and it noticed. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.