Breaking Down the Dolphins' 2026 Draft National Grades

What are national analysts around the NFL saying about what the Dolphins were able to do this weekend in their first draft under Jon-Eric Sullivan?

Miami Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan on how he rates prospects with character concerns | Hal Habib / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins’ draft class is in the books. It started with offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, and ended with edge rusher Max Llewellyn.

The Dolphins finished their first class under Jon-Eric Sullivan with 13 picks as they look for foundational pieces for what they hope will be a quick rebuild. How is their class being perceived nationally?

We’ve rounded up some draft grades to see just how those who analyze the draft closely think the Dolphins did on what they hope will prove to be a big weekend for them.

Sports Illustrated: B-Minus

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame joined forces with Gilberto Manzano to give analysis of all 32 teams, and gave the Dolphins a solid B-minus based on their performance this weekend.

“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,” Verderame and Manzano wrote. “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.”

The situation at wide receiver was the most polarizing coming into the draft thanks to the Dolphins’ trade of Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos for a first round pick. Ultimately, the Dolphins did not use a first round pick on a receiver, opting to go for Proctor and defensive back Chris Johnson.

Bell is an interesting add to the roster as noted coming off a major injury, but if he returns to his form from 2025, the Dolphins may have found a steal without having to use a top-50 pick on a receiver.

USA Today: B

Nate Davis of USA Today gave the Dolphins a slightly higher mark than SI, with a solid B grade for their draft class.

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,” Davis wrote. “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.”

The consensus surrounding Miami’s first three picks appear to be the thought that they are solid if unspectacular, but with more meat on the bone for future years.

As for the mid rounds, there is some excitement for how those players could develop.

“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,” Davis wrote. “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 quarterback Malik Willis. Check and check.”

Building around the quarterback was a big topic of discussion coming into the weekend for the Dolphins, and it appears, at least according to Davis, that they’ve succeeded.

The Miami Dolphins’ draft class is in the books. It started with offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor, and ended with edge rusher Max Llewellyn.

ESPN: B

Mel Kiper Jr. took time after a busy weekend to grade all 32 teams classes and gave the Dolphins a solid B, he noted they had a lot of needs on their roster, but that Jon-Eric Sullivan worked some magic to try and fill most of them before the end of the weekend.

“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," Kiper wrote.

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, but he's going to help the Dolphins' new quarterback even so,” Kiper said about the Dolphins’ first-round pick before going into the middle rounds.

“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.”

Of course after talking about the Dolphins’ first picks in this draft class, Kiper addressed the elephant in the room. The receiver position, and what was one of the biggest reaches in the class according to Kiper.

“But what about receiver?" Kiper wrote. "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.”

Kiper finished up his analysis by talking about two of his favorite picks in Miami’s class, the linebackers.

“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.” Kiper said.

NFL.Com: B

Chad Reuter of NFL.com spent the weekend grading each individual day for teams across the NFL, and put a bow on it by giving grades to full draft classes as the draft concluded.

He gave the Dolphins a solid B for the work they did this weekend, with their highest mark coming on Day 3, where he gave them a B-plus.

“The Dolphins first traded down surrendering the chance to draft star safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 in exchange for two fifth-round picks from the Cowboys, then added Proctor's massive build and strength to the offensive line with the 12th overall choice,” Reuter said. “Next, the Dolphins traded up, sending San Francisco the first round pick gained from dealing Jaylen Waddle to Denver for the chance to select Johnson, one of my favorite defenders in the draft due to his speed, smooth movement and ball skills.”

After looking at their first round picks, Reuter moved into the middle rounds, where he had positive things to say about Jacob Rodriguez.

“Miami added Rodriguez, an ultra-athletic gamer and the best player available, at No. 43, then grabbed two receivers in the third round: Douglas, a downfield threat, and Bell, an AJ Brown-type receiver coming off a knee injury,” Reuter said.

Finally, he gave some analysis on what the Dolphins did on Day 3, but gave some words of caution about their first pick in the fourth round.

“(Trey) Moore moved from the edge at UTSA to the second level with Texas, raising questions about how his size and length might translate, but Miami picked him as an edge over several other worthy prospects. Louis and Taafee will be effective nickel defenders at linebacker and safety and should provide special teams help, as well. Traore's move from England to the U.S. to play football is a great story, but his athleticism is what will help Miami's tight end depth chart.”