Dolphins Rookie Power Rankings Heading Into Regular Season: From Proctor to Herman

After their roster cuts down to 53 and the later adjustments, the Miami Dolphins basically cut in half their number of rookies, though they still carry a very large amount.

The Dolphins have 13 rookies on their 53-man roster eight days ahead of their season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, a group that includes 11 draft picks, one undrafted free agent, and one waiver wire pick-up.

Only two of the team's league-high 13 draft picks aren't on the 53, with fourth-round selection Trey Moore on injured reserve and seventh-round pick Max Llewellyn on the practice squad after first making the initial 53 but then being waived to make room for waiver wire additions.

Because of where the Dolphins are as an organization, a lot of those rookies will play key roles this season and a good number of them will wind up starting, whether on a full-time or occasional basis.

With that background, here's our latest power ranking of every Dolphins rookie based on potential, training camp/preseason performance and likely impact in 2026, divided into a few tiers.

CLEAR STARTERS

1. CB Chris Johnson — There's been a pretty good battle for the top spot, but we've landed on Johnson as our favorite to be the team's Rookie of the Year (even if the team doesn't give out that kind of official award anymore). Johnson has gotten better and better heading into the regular season and figures to be the key player in the secondary.

2. G Kadyn Proctor — Because he plays on the interior of the offensive line, it's been difficult for Proctor to stand out the way some of his rookie teammates have with highlight plays, but the bottom line is Proctor has looked every bit the part so far. There is absolutely zero reason to think he won't be a solid starter right from the jump.

3. LB Jacob Rodriguez — Rodriguez beat out veteran Tyrel Dodson, which is some impressive work considering Dodson's stat line from last year. Where Rodriguez separated himself is in coverage and his well-established knack for creating turnovers.

POTENTIAL STARTERS

4. WR Chris Bell — Bell's return to the lineup, which came sooner than expected, might have been the biggest story of training camp and his two receptions and five targets in the preseason finalel did nothing to dampen the excitement about his potential. The question, of course, centers around what are realistic expectations for him coming off that ACL injury.

5. TE Will Kacmarek — Kacmarek hasn't practiced in a bit because of an undisclosed injury, but he's already established the fact he's going to make an impact as a blocker.

6. S Michael Taaffe — Taaffe's off-the-charts intangibles, which have earned rave reviews from head coach Jeff Hafley, just might wind up putting him in the starting lineup.

7. WR Caleb Douglas — With so much focus on Bell, Douglas' star faded a bit after that early surge highlighted by his acrobatic catch in the preseason opener. But Douglas still has great potential with his combination of size and speed.

8. FB DJ Herman — The Cinderella story of training camp after he went from college linebacker to fullback and from rookie minicamp tryout player to member of the active roster, Herman will make a contribution leading the way for De'Von Achane and might even get some starts depending on what formation the Dolphins choose at the start of games.

LIKELY CONTRIBUTORS

9. EDGE/LB Trey Moore — Moore already was a starter when he went down with an ankle injury in the preseason game against the New York Giants, and now he'll be a question mark in regards to his return timeline and how much he could contribute once he's back.

10. LB Kyle Louis — The Dolphins plan on using Louis' coverage ability in a big nickel type of role, but Hafley indicated this was a work in progress, so early on it might be that most of his work will come on special teams.

11. WR Kevin Coleman Jr. — There's absolutely a place and a role for Coleman, even though he got lost in the mix with all the attention on Bell and Douglas.

LOOKING FOR A ROLE

12. TE Justin Joly — The waiver wire pick-up from the Denver Broncos has obvious pass-catching ability, but he's also playing catch-up and also has another former Denver draft pick, Greg Dulcich, ahead of him. So it might take a minute for him to be able to get a lot of snaps.

13. TE Seydou Traore — Traore has been playing catch-up for a bit as he's been dealing with minor injury issues, and he'll have to find a way to stand out in some way to earn some playing time.

14. G DJ Campbell — The sixth-round pick from Texas was too promising for the Dolphins to cut, but this has the look of a redshirt year for him where he'll play only in an emergency or maybe late in the season if/once the playoffs become out of reach.

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