2026 NFL Draft Grades: Miami Dolphins

I ran out of room adding needs to my list. This roster needed everything. Everything. And as such, no one really knew which of their weak positions they'd hit at No. 11 and No. 30. Of course, the latter pick came over from Denver when the Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle. Coupled with releasing Tyreek Hill, that pushed WR to the top of the needs list.

Neither of those first-rounders went that direction, which might cause some problems for new quarterback Malik Willis. But Miami added Kadyn Proctor at No. 12 after a one-slot trade back netted two fifth-rounders. He has the experience (40 starts) and quickness out of his set to handle the right tackle position. Incumbent Austin Jackson missed 11 games last season, and Larry Borom left in free agency. The Dolphins had to do something there, and Proctor has been a buzzy name over the past two months. He played exclusively left tackle at Alabama, but I'm confident he can flip to the right side based on the agility I see on tape. Proctor might not be catching passes for Willis like a receiver at 11 would have -- or maybe he will? -- but he's going to help the Dolphins' new quarterback even so.

The next pick came after a slight trade up, moving up three spots to No. 27 at the cost of moving from No. 90 to No. 138 later in the draft. With 13 picks on hand at that point in the draft, that's 100 percent worth it -- especially to land Chris Johnson, who I bumped up to CB3 in the class. The Dolphins' cornerback room was in shambles, and Johnson immediately brings his ball skills (six interceptions and 16 pass breakups over the past three seasons) to the starting lineup.

But what about receiver? Caleb Douglas was a reach (No. 148 overall going 75th) and Chris Bell is coming off a torn ACL. Granted, Bell has first-round level talent when healthy, and he can produce over the middle, downfield and after the catch. But I didn't see enough done to the WR room. Malik Washington and Jalen Tolbert are still the WR1 and WR2 on this roster, respectively. That's an issue.

I'm a big fan of Jacob Rodriguez, and Kyle Louis is a baller who will line up all over the place and make plays. Miami ultimately made 13 picks, and a lot of these players are going to see the field in 2026, whether they're ready or not.

They wound up picking 13 players, and perhaps as many as seven or eight of them could reasonably start in 2026 — testaments to both the quality of rookie GM Jon-Eric Sullivan's choices but also how thin this stripped-down roster was entering the weekend. Sullivan's first three selections — OL Kadyn Proctor (Round 1), CB Chris Johnson (Round 1) and LB Jacob Rodriguez (Round 2) — all have excellent college film, yet also had enough questions going into the pre-draft process that their stock didn't seem to catch up to their highlights until later. Third-round WR Chris Bell, who's recovering from a torn ACL suffered last November, has been compared to Brown from an ability standpoint. Fourth-rounder Trey Moore is another one to watch — an extremely productive player at UTSA but not so much at Texas, so it remains to be seen if he's a gem at the next level or overmatched. Versatile fourth-round DB/LB Kyle Louis might also be a heist of a defensive weapon. Did the Fins get a talent comparable to Waddle, who was traded last month? Maybe not. Have they effectively found a replacement for LB Jordyn Brooks, a former Red Raider like Rodriguez and a player Sullivan claimed he wanted to build around five minutes ago? Yep. But the mission here was quantity and finding players who can immediately provide direct or indirect support for first-year QB Malik Willis. Check and check.

Best Pick: Second-round linebacker Jacob Rodriguez from Texas Tech will prove to be a big-time player on their defense. He has the ball instincts you love for the position.

Worst Pick: Third-round tight end Will Kacmarek is a good blocker, not a great one, but is limited in terms of his receiving skills.

The Skinny: Jon-Eric Sullivan had a heck of a draft. I loved the pick of tackle/guard Kadyn Proctor in the first round. They then loaded up on a bunch of good players with their remaining picks. Receiver Caleb Douglas will prove to be a steal.

With an NFL-high 13 draft picks used, no team was better positioned to make a splash in the 2026 draft than the Miami Dolphins — but I'm not convinced this class will prove much better than a belly flop. Don't get me wrong, there are some prospects added that I think are going to be quality NFL players. Specifically, I love the selections of cornerback Chris Johnson, wideout Chris Bell and linebacker Kyle Louis, and I like the additions of Jacob Rodriguez and Kevin Coleman, as well.

The Dolphins started off the class with, literally and figuratively, one of the "biggest" gambles of the draft in Alabama's Kadyn Proctor. There are teams that could afford such a roll of the dice, but I don't believe the Dolphins are one of them. Similarly, while I like Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas, I don't see him as a future No. 1 wideout in the NFL or, frankly, appreciably better than the two pass-catchers GM Jon-Eric Sullivan nabbed later in Bell and Coleman.

The Dolphins are in the midst of a complete roster rebuild, so I have no doubt that most of these players will make the team. But will Miami be one that wins more than a handful of games next year? I have my doubts.

The Dolphins' new regime brought in a 13-player class to turn over a roster they clearly strongly dislike.

Proctor is a big swing in the top 15. He has unique size and power, but he needs to keep his conditioning in check. Chris Johnson feels like the total opposite, as he's a higher-floor pick that projects as a number two corner.

Jacob Rodriguez is slightly undersized but he is constantly around the ball and creates takeaways. He will quickly be a leader for this team. The Caleb Douglas pick makes zero sense to me and I don't think he will ever have a real impact on their offense, but Chris Bell could become a dynamic threat in the short and deep areas of the field once healthy.

Will Kacmarek was one of my favorite blocking tight ends and it was perplexing to see other players that fit that role drafted over him, this was nice work by Miami in the third round.

My favorite day three pick was Kyle Louis, a chess piece player who can cover running backs and instantly handle a subpackage role at linebacker.

Overall, Miami was volume shooting in this draft and got enough players who will help turn things over to their style and scheme.

Here's why: This is just one opinion, but the Dolphins' first-round picks are a bit risky. Kadyn Proctor has struggled with his weight throughout his college career and the recent history of oversized offensive tackles is mixed. Chris Johnson had some decent tape last season, but there are questions about how he'll physically be able to hang in the NFL. However, the Dolphins grabbed some solid value on the second and third days of the draft with Jacob Rodriguez, Chris Bell and Kyle Louis.

Most interesting pick(s): Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech and Kyle Louis, LB, Pitt

Both of these guys have the potential to play a lot of snaps, but it was curious to hear that Louis was announced as a linebacker when he has the frame of a safety. If they both stick whenever Miami moves on from Jordyn Brooks, Louis and Rodriguez are a small but speedy linebacker duo which will stress offensive fronts. How these two eventually pair together may define this draft class.

The Dolphins made approximately 80 picks in this draft, or that's how it felt at least, and did a really nice job of adding depth and talent to what had become a depressingly barren roster. The team came away with a starting tackle (Alabama's Kadyn Proctor) and cornerback (San Diego State's Chris Johnson) with its pair of first-round picks, solidifying two of the most important spots of a rebuild. They added two rangy, playmaking linebackers in Jacob Rodriquez (second round) and Kyle Louis (fourth round), giving new head coach Jeff Hafley plenty of options in both base and sub-package looks. Crucially, the Dolphins looked to bolster their receiver group, too, and I'm sure Malik Willis was somewhere smiling when the team drafted personal favorites of mine in Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. (it also took Caleb Douglas in the third round). I won't be surprised if both Bell and Coleman emerge as starters for this squad as early as this year. Overall, it's clear that Miami has a ways to go in its full roster reset, but I was impressed with what new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was able to accomplish in his first draft.

Analysis: No team needed more help in the draft than Miami, and the Dolphins addressed multiple areas of need. Proctor, Johnson, Rodriguez and Douglas are all potential starters as rookies. Bell is the ultimate boom-or-bust pick, as he's coming off a torn ACL but has explosive talent, evidenced by his 917 yards and six scores in 2025. The big question is whether Proctor works out, as he struggled with weight issues throughout college. Ultimately, the Dolphins took 13 players, including five pass catchers to help Malik Willis.