The Miami Dolphins embraced a full rebuild this offseason. They moved on from basically the entirety of their preexisting core, as Tua Tagovailoa, Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Minkah Fitzpatrick, and Bradley Chubb were all let go. Tearing it down and starting from scratch is only the beginning when it comes to rebuilds, though. The roster needs to be built back up, and that starts with the draft. After all of their offseason moves, the Dolphins entered the 2026 NFL Draft with tons of capital. In fact, the 13 picks they made were the most in the league. So, did they do well in kick-starting the rebuild? Here are the Dolphins’ draft grades for each of their selections.
Round 1, pick 12: OT Kadyn Proctor, Alabama
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Grade: A-
The Dolphins started the roster replenishment by bringing in a bookend tackle who they hope will control the trenches for years to come. Kadyn Proctor is a massive human being with all of the talent in the world. The only thing that has held him back is conditioning, but if he can be the best version of himself in the NFL, then the Dolphins nailed this pick. Miami is hoping Malik Willis can establish himself as their franchise quarterback, and he has a better chance to do so with a beast protecting his blindside.
Round 1, pick 27: CB Chris Johnson, San Diego State
Grade: B+
The Dolphins made Chris Johnson just the second cornerback taken off the board. He was arguably the most athletic cornerback in this class, which will allow him to thrive in press coverage and in recovery deep down the field. Miami’s pass defense is one of many weak points, so adding the SDSU product made sense.
Round 2, pick 43: LB Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech
Grade: B
Jacob Rodriguez had become somewhat of a draft darling for the draft community on Twitter in the months leading up to draft day. Once viewed as a late-second-to-early-third-round pick, the hype got to Miami’s front office, as they took him early in the second round. Rodriguez was the ultimate playmaker at Texas Tech, as he racked up tackles, forced fumbles, and interceptions. His coverage ability will play well alongside a tackling machine like Jordyn Brooks. However, Rodriguez is undersized, and he has some bust potential because of the chance that teams will manhandle him in the running game.
Round 3, pick 75: WR Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech
Grade: C+
The Dolphins went to Lubbock, Texas, with back-to-back selections. With the first of three third-round picks, Miami added Caleb Douglas. Douglas has speed and size, so he could be a deep threat for Willis and his rocket arm. However, Douglas was arguably the biggest reach the Dolphins took in the draft, as most expected him to go a few rounds later.
Round 3, pick 87: TE Will Kacmarek, Ohio State
Grade: C-
Will Kacmarek reportedly has reliable hands, but the tape doesn’t show much pass-catching production. The tight end was predominantly used as a blocker at Ohio State. While the Dolphins want to get bigger inside and buck their soft label, round three is a tad early to take a blocking tight end. Kacmarek does have the physical profile to have a bigger impact in the passing game at the NFL level than he did in college, though.
Round 3, pick 94: WR Chris Bell, Louisville
Grade: A
Another receiver, Chris Bell, brings physicality to Miami’s receiving corps. He is a yards-after-catch expert who plays like a running back when he has the football in his hands. Bell was more highly touted as a receiver prospect than Douglas, and this was a great value get for Miami. Replicating the production lost by Hill and Waddle’s production won’t be easy, but the 2026 NFL Draft was a good start for the Dolphins.
Round 4, pick 130: Edge Trey Moore, Texas
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Grade: B-
Trey Moore has an eight-sack and a 14-sack season under his belt. That came during his time at UTSA, where he was named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year. Unfortunately, Moore’s production declined when he took on bigger and better competition in the SEC at Texas. That doesn’t bode well for his NFL outlook, but it is hard to ignore what he did chasing the quarterback earlier on in his collegiate career.
Round 4, pick 138: LB Kyle Louis, Pitt
Grade: A+
Fourth-round draftee Kyle Louis will be a chess piece for Miami’s new-look defense. The Pitt product can play off-ball linebacker or safety. The Dolphins wanted to improve their coverage ability at the linebacker spots, and this pick and the Rodriguez selection helped them do so. Louis had six interceptions over the last two seasons. He added 24 tackles for a loss over that span, too. This was one of the biggest steals in the entire draft.
Round 5, pick 158: S Michael Taaffe, Texas
Grade: B-
There are snaps to be had all over Miami’s roster. Michael Taaffe will be in the mix at safety for the team after he was drafted 158th overall. His most direct route to playing time early on will be on special teams, though. Taaffe was a special teams ace for Texas, a program in which the Dolphins went to three times to add to their stacked rookie class. While this pick would have been a little high to draft a project like Taaffe in most cases, the Dolphins had so many picks that getting a special teams specialist made some sense.
Round 5, pick 177: WR Kevin Coleman Jr., Missouri
Grade: B+
The Dolphins’ receiver room has been completely revamped. Kevin Coleman was the third receiver the team added during the draft. Some analysts had Coleman ranked higher than both Douglas and Bell. The Missouri pass catcher is a primary slot option with good speed and reliable hands.
Round 5, pick 180: TE Seydou Traore, Mississippi State
Grade: B
Clearly, adding talent to help Willis out was paramount in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Dolphins walked away with three receivers and two tight ends. After taking a blocking tight end earlier, the team added more of a receiving threat for the position in Seydou Traore. He is a converted soccer player with boom or bust potential, but Miami has time to let him develop. Traore is the first graduate of the international NFL Academy to be drafted into the league.
Round 6, pick 200: OG DJ Campbell, Texas
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Grade: A-
DJ Campbell started on Texas’ offensive line for three years. The Longhorns always have solid offensive line play, and Campbell has a chance to start for Miami right away despite being just a sixth-round pick. Campbell is a mauler who will use brute strength to boost the Dolphins’ rushing attack.
Round 7, pick 238: Edge Max Llewellyn, Iowa
Grade: C
The Max Llewellyn selection leaves something to be desired, but this was a seventh-round pick and comes after three days of draft hit after draft hit for Miami. Llewellyn is best at swatting balls down at the line of scrimmage.
Dolphins’ overall draft grade
Grade: B+
The Dolphins went to work plugging holes left and right. There is a chance that all 13 rookie draft picks will end up on Miami’s 53-man roster this year, which is truly quite impressive. The team prioritized getting more physical and adding help for their new quarterback. The only thing holding the Dolphins’ draft grade back is that, despite the likelihood that they will be one of the worst teams in the NFL this year, they might not have added a truly elite prospect who can be the face of this new era of Miami football.
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