AFC East · 2026 Draft Class

Miami Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft Class

Every Dolphins selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the needs they entered the weekend with, and the trades that reshaped their board.

Compiled by the NFL Mock Draft Simulator research desk · Front office at the time: New Sullivan (GM), Jeff Hafley (HC)

The class

Miami Dolphins made 13 selections in the 2026 draft, opening with Kadyn Proctor, a offensive tackle out of Alabama, at No. 12 overall.

The class skewed toward wide receiver, where they used 3 picks. In total they drafted 8 different positions.

Going into the weekend our board had their priority needs listed as Wide Receiver, Cornerback, Edge Rusher, Defensive Tackle, Offensive Tackle, Safety, Interior Offensive Line. They addressed 6 of their 7 pre-draft needs directly: Wide Receiver, Cornerback, Edge Rusher, Offensive Tackle, Safety, Interior Offensive Line. Left unaddressed: Defensive Tackle.

Their best value relative to the consensus board was Kyle Louis at No. 138, 54 slots later than the industry board had him ranked (84).

Draft capital

Dolphins draft capital broke down as 2 Day 1 picks, 4 on Day 2 and 7 on Day 3. 3 of those were compensatory selections, awarded for free-agency losses in the prior cycle. 11 were slots they did not own when the weekend began, acquired by trade. Holding 2 first-round picks is the rarest and most valuable position in the draft, and it gives a front office the option to be aggressive without mortgaging the rest of the class.

Pick by pick

Every Dolphins selection, with where it landed against our consensus board and against their own pre-draft needs list.

• Round 1, No. 12: Dolphins took Kadyn Proctor, within 7 slots of his board ranking of 19.
• Round 1, No. 27: Dolphins took Chris Johnson, within 11 slots of his board ranking of 38. Cornerback was their No. 2 listed need.
• Round 2, No. 43: Dolphins took Jacob Rodriguez on Day 2, within 10 slots of his board ranking of 53. Linebacker was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 3, No. 75: Dolphins moved on Caleb Douglas on Day 2, 133 slots ahead of his board ranking, which is conviction rather than value. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 3, No. 87: Dolphins moved on Will Kacmarek on Day 2, paying 93 slots of premium rather than risk the wait. Tight End was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 3, No. 94: Dolphins took Chris Bell on Day 2, a board-rank 60 player whom the rest of the league passed on across 34 slots of board value. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 4, No. 130: Dolphins moved on Trey Moore on Day 3, 58 slots ahead of his board ranking, which is conviction rather than value. Edge Rusher was their No. 3 listed need.
• Round 4, No. 138: Dolphins took Kyle Louis on Day 3, a board-rank 84 player who fell 54 slots below where the consensus had him. Linebacker was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 5, No. 158: Dolphins took Michael Taaffe on Day 3, within 6 slots of his board ranking of 164.
• Round 5, No. 177: Dolphins took Kevin Coleman Jr. on Day 3, a board-rank 135 player who waited 42 slots past his board ranking to get there. It was their single highest-priority need going in.
• Round 5, No. 180: Dolphins used the pick on Seydou Traore, ranked 421, the sort of dart every team throws on Saturday afternoon. Tight End was not on their priority needs list, a best-player-available call.
• Round 6, No. 200: Dolphins took D.J. Campbell on Day 3, within 0 slots of his board ranking of 200.
• Round 7, No. 238: Dolphins took Max Llewellyn on Day 3, a board-rank 185 player who waited 53 slots past his board ranking to get there. Edge Rusher was their No. 3 listed need.

Pre-draft needs

Our needs assessment for the Dolphins going into the 2026 draft, ordered by priority. This is the list the class above is measured against.

Draft-day trades

• With San Francisco 49ers: sent No. 30 (R1), No. 90 (R3); received No. 27 (R1), No. 138 (R4).
• With Dallas Cowboys: sent No. 11 (R1); received No. 12 (R1), No. 177 (R5), No. 180 (R5).
• With Carolina Panthers: sent No. 151 (R5), No. 227 (R7); received No. 158 (R5), No. 200 (R6).

Related

• Round 1 results: every other pick made around the Dolphins' first selection.
• Position rankings for the groups they drafted: Offensive Tackle, Cornerback, Linebacker, Wide Receiver, Tight End, Edge Rusher, Safety, Interior Offensive Line.
• The 2026 consensus big board: where every one of these players ranked before the draft.
• Every trade from the 2026 draft: the full ledger, including the Dolphins' moves.
• Steals and reaches: which picks diverged most from the board, and what that gap means.
• The draft by the numbers: positional supply, school production and how draft capital was distributed.

More on the Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins franchise hub carries the current front office and needs, plus every other class we cover.