The Dolphins almost had to have at least a solid draft based on all the draft capital they had, including six selections in the top 100. How would their 2026 draft class look based on our board?
Actual selections
1.12: G Kadyn Proctor
1.27: CB Chris Johnson
2.43: LB Jacob Rodriguez
3.75: WR Caleb Douglas
3.87: TE Will Kacmarek
3.94: WR Chris Bell
4.130: EDGE Trey Moore
4.138: LB Kyle Louis
5.158: S Michael Taaffe
5.177: WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
5.180: TE Seydou Traore
6.200: G DJ Campbell
7.238: EDGE Max Llewellyn
Wolf Sports selections
1.12: EDGE Rueben Bain Jr.
1.27: CB D’Angelo Ponds
2.43: WR Germie Bernard
3.75: CB Jermod McCoy
3.87: G DJ Campbell
3.94: WR Chris Bell
4.130: LB Harold Perkins Jr.
4.138: DL Zane Durant
5.158: TE John Michael Gyllenborg
5.177: WR Deion Burks
5.180: QB Jalon Daniels
6.200: WR J. Michael Sturdivant
7.238: EDGE Max Llewellyn
Thoughts
A new regime in Miami started things off with what feels like an attempt to set the tone for how they want to build the roster—getting the monstrous Kadyn Proctor and slotting him in at left guard (after playing left tackle at Alabama). That was followed up by trading up for Chris Johnson as a zone-heavy cornerback that fits the scheme for new head coach Jeff Hafley.
For us, there is no way we would have passed on Miami star Rueben Bain Jr. to boost the edge rush, and the group would look a whole lot more dangerous with him joining Zach Sieler, Kenneth Grant, and Chop Robinson. However, Bain likely didn’t fit the arm-length threshold for the Dolphins to take him, and we’ll see if he makes them regret it by staying in Florida after being drafted by the Bucs. With the second first-round pick, D’Angelo Ponds also might not have measured big enough to be considered in real life for Miami, but they’ll now face him twice a year in the division.
Day 2 for the Dolphins began with Jacob Rodriguez as an instinctive linebacker with a nose for the football, and their trio of third-round selections resulted in Caleb Douglas as a big-bodied target (with evidence suggesting they were jumped by the Giants for Malachi Fields), Will Kacmarek as a primary blocker at tight end, and Chris Bell as an upside target at wide receiver—who could make a major impact on a wide-open depth chart when he’s back to full health after a torn ACL ended his college career.
We would have taken Bell at the same draft slot based on our board, but Germie Bernard—our top pass-catcher in the class—would have been the first shot at wide receiver in Round 2. Between the picks at receiver, Jermod McCoy would’ve been taken to pair with D’Angelo Ponds at cornerback (to arguably fix the group in one draft), and DJ Campbell was our target to start at right guard to keep 2025 second-rounder Jonah Savaiinaea on the left side.
Day 3 is where Miami really had a chance to do damage, and their selections should have a great chance of getting on the field with the roster being relatively thin. First, Trey Moore was a linebacker/edge hybrid who the team is trying at defensive end—where he could start immediately across from Chop Robinson. The other fourth-rounder was spent on Kyle Louis as an undersized linebacker who can excel in coverage and on special teams. We’d have gone with Harold Perkins Jr. at linebacker, and Zane Durant up front to join Zach Sieler and Kenneth Grant.
In Round 5, the Dolphins took Michael Taaffe at safety, Kevin Coleman Jr. at wide receiver, and Seydou Traore at tight end—with all three having a chance to earn a role early (though Traore is more of a developmental type). The team finished things off with our favorite values by getting DJ Campbell and Max Llewellyn.
We also would have landed on Llewellyn with our final pick, and the other late would-be selections were John Michael Gyllenborg, Deion Burks, Jalon Daniels, and J. Michael Sturidvant.
Again, Miami’s new regime had plenty of draft capital to work with and should come away with a bunch of contributors from their first class, but time will tell if they passed on future stars in favor of certain archetypes or scheme fits.