How the Dolphins 2026 Draft Class Already Made History (And Whether It Could Do It Again)

The Miami Dolphins' 2026 draft class consisting a league-high 13 picks holds the key, as much as anything else, to the future of a franchise that is starting over this year.

By all appearances, that group is off to a promising start.

Already that group has tied the franchise record for most picks in a draft class making it to the active roster at any point with 12 of the 13 picks earning that distinction. And the record will belong to 2026 only once Trey Moore is activated off injured reserve, even though that might not happen for a few weeks after he becomes eligible in early October.

Of course, we need to point out that edge defender Max Llewellyn now is on the practice squad, but that happened after he made the initial and then was waived when the Dolphins needed to make space for their eight newcomers Monday.

But there's a chance Llewellyn could be back on the active roster at some point.

Regardless, this was good stuff for the Dolphins draft class, though that's only a very small part of the expectatoins.

That the Dolphins would keep most of them around always was a given.

The next step is going to be for those players to deliver on the field.

FOR STARTERS

For those not familiar, the 11 draft picks currently on the 53 are Kadyn Proctor, Chris Johnson, Jacob Rodriguez, Caleb Douglas, Will Kacmarek, Chris Bell, Kyle Louis, Michael Taaffe, Kevin Coleman Jr., Seydou Traore and DJ Campbell.

Based on the preseason depth chart, Proctor, Johnson, Rodriguez and Douglas likely will start in the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders, and there's a possibility that both Kacmarek and Taaffe could as well, depending on whether the Dolphins start off with two tight ends and whether Taaffe beats out either Dante Trader Jr. or Zayne Anderson.

And this is where the Dolphins again could make history (at least since 2000).

The Dolphins likely won't match their high of 14 rookies starting at least one game, which happened in 2019, but they do have a shot of topping their high for most rookies starting at least half the games. That number was five and it happened in 2020 when those five rookies were Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, Raekwon Davis, Robert Hunt and Solomon Kindley.

Along with the six aforementioned players, Trey Moore also is somebody who could wind up starting more than seven games based on the preseason depth chart, but this obviously depends on when he can come off IR.

DOING IT WITH HONORS

Starting is one thing, and then the next step is starring.

One good measure for that is postseason accolades, in this case the All-Rookie team.

And if we're looking for historical landmarks, the Dolphins record for most players on the PFWA All-Rookie (which began in 1974) is four, which was done in 1977 and again in 1996.

The All-Rookie Dolphins in '77 were first-round picks A.J. Duhe and Kim Bokamper, along with Bob Baumhower and Vern Roberson. The 1996 honorees were first-round pick Daryl Gardener, Zach Thomas, Karim Abdul-Jabbar and Larry Izzo.

For those wondering, the NFL record is five, which was done by the 1998 Indianapolis Colts with a group led by Peyton Manning.

For further reference, 10 teams have had four (or more) different All-Rookie selections in one year, most recently the L.A. Rams in 2023.

The interesting part is that seven of those 10 teams finish that season with at least 10 wins, including the 1977 Dolphins that went 10-4. And the 1996 Dolphins were 8-8 with those four All-Rookie selections.

From this vantage point, the best All-Rookie candidates heading into the season obviously would be the top picks like Proctor, Johnson and Rodriguez, with Bell also one to watch given his obvious potential. And Taaffe also would be worth watching if he does land the starting job because there traditionally are not a lot of rookies starting at safety around the league.

Even having one or two All-Rookie performers would be a good start for the Dolphins, but obviously the more the better here.

This is the kind of history the Dolphins want to be chasing in 2026.

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