The Dolphins Rookie Power Rankings and Progress Report After Week 2: Proctor Makes a Move

Through the disappointment of an 0-2 start out West, the Miami Dolphins are getting valuable experience for their large group of rookies.

While this is going to produce some rough afternoon, such as the one at Levi's Stadium last Sunday, the hope is that it will pay off in the long run.

It's still too early — way too early — to assess exactly where the Dolphins' very large rookie class stands after two games in terms of progress, but there have been clear signs the team absolutely hit on some of their picks.

After using six rookies in the starting lineup in the opener at Las Vegas, the number grew to seven against the San Francisco 49ers when fullback DJ Herman joined wide receiver Caleb Douglas, guard Kadyn Proctor, tight end Will Kacmarek, linebacker Jacob Rodriguez, cornerback Chris Johnson and safety Michael Taaffe.

In the loss against the 49ers, the 10 rookies who saw action combined for 401 snaps, down from 436 combined snap in the opener against the Raiders.

Here’s our latest ranking of the Dolphins’ rookie class in terms of performance so far in 2026:

DOLPHINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR FRONT-RUNNERS

1. WR Caleb Douglas

Douglas wasn't able to follow up his impressive NFL debut in his second outing against the 49ers, and making matters worse was the ankle injury he sustained in the second half. Through the first two games, though, it's hard to argue against him being the team's best rookie.

2. LB Jacob Rodriguez

Like Douglas, Rodriguez didn't have as good an outing against the 49ers as he did against the Raiders, and in his case he was better against the run in Week 2 but maybe not as effective in coverage.

3. G Kadyn Proctor

Proctor's performance might be remembered most for his false start penalty when he started pulling to his right while his line mates still were in their stance, but there was a lot of good work done in the run game. The pass blocking remains a work in progress, but this overall was a pretty solid performance.

4. S Michael Taaffe

Taaffe stood out against the 49ers with his willingness to fill the hole in the run game and his one pressure against Brock Purdy on a blitz, but PFF didn't care for his work in coverage. While we caution against putting too much weight on PFF, the fact is that Purdy barely had any incompletions and it's not like there were a ton of tight-window throws.

THE NEXT LEVEL

5. TE Will Kacmarek

The third-round pick from Ohio State had his first career reception against the 49ers, and he again did a solid job in the blocking department, which is why he was brought to Miami in the first place.

6. CB Chris Johnson Jr.

Johnson's advanced metrics again were a bit unsightly, though he wasn't on the wrong end of any touchdown passes the way he was against the Raiders in the opener. Johnson was the closest defender to tight end George Kittle on the 40-yard completion at the start of the second half, but Jeff Hafley credited a great play design for big gain. Johnson did have some issues tackling in this game and PFR charged him with two missed tackles.

7. FB DJ Herman

Herman started off the game in style with a long reception coming out of the flat (though he'll learn to switch the ball over to the hand/arm closest to the sideline), but his blocking performance didn't look great on tape, nor did it earn high marks from PFF.

THEIR TIME IS COMING

8. WR Chris Bell

Bell, who's now dealing with soreness in his surgically repaired knee, was targeted only one and the pass fell incomplete during his 24 offensive snaps.

9. TE Seydou Traore

Traore not only played only special teams against the 49ers for a second consecutive week, but this time he led the entire team in special teams. And it speaks well for him that the coverage units were much better this time around.

10. WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

Coleman played 14 snaps on offense against the 49ers, but was not targeted once, which has to be considered disappointing given his speed. He did show willingness to help out as a blocker, though.

11. TE Justin Joly

Joly was inactive for a second time in two games, and given the large amount of special teams snaps fellow tight end Seydou Traore is getting, it seems that's why he's not getting into the lineup. Perhaps that will change with the Dolphins dealing with a rash of wide receiver injuries.

12. G DJ Campbell

Campbell remains more of a developmental piece along Miami’s offensive line. The sixth-round pick made the roster after spending most of the offseason behind the starters, but barring injuries ahead of him, this still looks like a season where most of his development will happen on the practice field. He was inactive for a second consecutive game.

SIDELINED

13. EDGE/LB Trey Moore

Moore might be significantly higher on this list if he were healthy. The fourth-round pick suffered an ankle injury during the preseason and began the regular season on injured reserve. Miami designated Moore to return, so the evaluation will have to wait until he gets back on the field.

14. S Kyle Louis

Louis actually got his first taste of regular season action against Las Vegas, but a knee injury ended his debut after just three defensive snaps and he has since landed on injured reserve. The Dolphins had been developing Louis for a hybrid role that took advantage of his coverage ability, and head coach Jeff Hafley said after Week 1 that his playing time was beginning to increase in the second half.

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