B+
Miami Dolphins
A masterclass at the trade table lands the Dolphins a B+.
by aechean ·
2026 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 4 steals
· 10 reaches
The Dolphins put a flag in the ground for Patrick Payton, 70 picks before anyone else would have, and the value took the hit.
The Burks steal is the beam this whole class leans on. They robbed the room blind at the table, and it lifts the grade on its own.
Leaving tight end unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
All told, a solid class that does its job everywhere but tight end.
Pick-by-Pick
In No. 18 they get a No. 1 receiver. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In pick No. 22 they get a load in the middle at fair value. The biggest hole, addressed.
In Round 1, Pick 30 they get a downhill thumper at linebacker at a price that makes it sweeter. A clean fit for the roster.
Zachariah Branch slipping to pick 75 is the kind of luck good rooms make for themselves. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
A swing that ignored the value entirely, Nicholas Singleton well ahead of where he belonged. It fills a real need, too.
They reached into another round for Harold Perkins Jr., and the board is nowhere close to agreeing. A need, and now a little less of one.
A wild overpay on Drew Allar in the 92nd pick, the sort that defines a class for the wrong reasons. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jalen Farmer at slot 94 is a conviction pick that outran the value. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Parker Brailsford at the Round 4 slot is an overdraft of the loud, memorable kind. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
A wide receiver of that caliber at No. 112 is the definition of value, full stop. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Dametrious Crownover at the 130th overall pick jumps the queue by a touch more than is comfortable. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A clean, defensible pick in pick No. 151 with a little surplus value in Isaiah World. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
Value with a capital V on Charles Demmings in Round 5, Pick 23, a genuine coup. It adds depth where they could use a little.
Value said wait; Patrick Payton in pick 177 says they were not listening. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Logan Fano at Round 6, Pick 23 is the pick scouts circle, and not in a good way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
Nick Barrett in the 227th overall pick is a bet on their own eyes over everyone else's grade. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
They reached a country mile for Jack Kelly at the 238th pick, and the board is aghast. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.