Draft Grades the 'Experts' are Giving the Dolphins: PART 2

The Draft Grades the “Experts” are Giving the Dolphins: PART 2

The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and now all of the outlets are releasing their draft grades. Yes, we know grades immediately after the draft are kind of silly, as nothing has happened yet. But it is a right of passage to see draft grades after the draft.

So, take them for what they are and don’t overreact to them if they are overly positive or negative.

NBC Sports: A

NBC said: “With a massive 13 selections, the Dolphins’ 2026 draft signals a clear reset following the departure of former HC Mike McDaniel and QB Tua Tagovailoa. Gargantuan LT Kadyn Proctor will be expected to anchor their offensive line going forward, while SDSU CB Chris Johnson and LB Rodriguez are both very accomplished and projectable defenders who should play immediately. Miami addressed their thin WR room by taking one of my favorite upside receivers in Chris Bell, in addition to WR Caleb Douglas and slot WR Kevin Coleman to go with a flex-TE receiving specialist in Seydou Traore. Both Edge Llewellyn at 238 (135th industry) and LB Louis at pick 138 (68th industry) were sterling values at their respective positions. There’s a lot to like about Miami’s draft.”

USA Today: B

USA Today said: “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. 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. 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. 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 QB Malik Willis. Check and check.”

NY Post B-

NY Post said: Key picks: Kadyn Proctor (OT, Alabama), Chris Johnson (CB, San Diego State), Jacob Rodriguez (LB, Texas Tech), Caleb Douglas (WR, Texas Tech), Will Kacmarek (TE, Ohio State), Chris Bell (WR, Louisville)

Analysis: Is the plan to convert the 352-pound Proctor to right guard? Then why not take Vega Ioane instead? Ballhawks Johnson and Rodriguez were two of The Post’s favorite pre-draft prospects. The third round is early for a blocking tight end. Bell should be the better receiver and a real steal if he fully recovers from ACL surgery.

CBS Sports B+

CBS said, “Miami had needs across the board heading into the draft, which afforded it the ability to take the best player available with each selection. That’s one of the perks of being squarely entrenched in a rebuild.

The Dolphins signed what might be their franchise quarterback in Malik Willis in free agency, and now they have more protection for him in the form of Kadyn Proctor. He was a polarizing prospect in the pre-draft process because of his size — a major asset that could also limit him if he isn’t able to play at a manageable weight. If Miami gets the best version of him, he can stick at left tackle and become a building block of this rebuild.

On defense, Chris Johnson could be a lockdown corner for years to come, while Jacob Rodriguez was the best defensive player in college football last year. That’s a pretty exciting pair of players.

The only whiff of Miami’s draft came in Round 3 with the Caleb Douglas pick. Renner called it “one of the biggest reaches of the draft so far, not only on my board, but also on the consensus board where he was outside the top-200.”

Rob Rang (FOX SPORTS) D

Rang said, “With an NFL-high 13 draft picks used, no team was better positioned to make a splash in the 2026 draft than the Miami Dolphins — but I’m not convinced this class will prove much better than a belly flop. Don’t get me wrong, there are some prospects added that I think are going to be quality NFL players. Specifically, I love the selections of cornerback Chris Johnson, wideout Chris Bell and linebacker Kyle Louis, and I like the additions of Jacob Rodriguez and Kevin Coleman, as well. But the Dolphins started off the class with, literally and figuratively, one of the “biggest” gambles of the draft in Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor. There are teams that could afford such a roll of the dice, but I don’t believe the Dolphins are one of them. Similarly, while I like Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas, I don’t see him as a future No. 1 wideout in the NFL or, frankly, appreciably better than the two pass-catchers GM Jon-Eric Sullivan nabbed later in Bell and Coleman. The Dolphins are in the midst of a complete roster rebuild, so I have no doubt that most of these players will make the team. But will Miami be one that wins more than a handful of games next year? I have my doubts. “