Grading the Miami Dolphins' 13 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft

Chris Johnson, San Diego State

This time, moving up a few picks in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers, Sullivan selected scheme, versatile, lockdown cornerback Chris Johnson, out of San Diego State. While he projects to be an outside cornerback, Sullivan stated that there could even be slot potential for the fluid and smooth defensive back.

He was the NFL Scouting Combine’s top-rated corner in Athletic Score and created nightmares for quarterbacks and receivers last year as the Mountain West Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Went targeted against, Johnson held passers to a dismal 16.1 quarterback rating in 2025 and didn’t allow a touchdown against, while recording a coverage grade of 92.8. He picked of four passes, taking two for touchdowns last season.

Grade: A

Round 2 Pick No. 43 - Texas Tech LB Jacob Rodriguez

Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech

Perhaps the most popular pick among the fanbase and celebrated by football analysts as potentially the best linebacker in the class, Jacob Rodriguez was a well-decorated award winner and a captain out of Texas Tech. Playing a year at Virginia and as a quarterback as well as other offensive roles, he transferred to Texas Tech and spent four years with the Red Raiders. He was a turnover machine, forcing seven fumbles and intercepting four passes in his 2025 All-American season on the way to being Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year.

He has given fans vibes of former Dolphins Hall of Fame linebacker and Texas Tech standout Zach Thomas. He also joins another Texas Tech alum, Jordyn Brooks, in the Miami linebacker’s room. Rodriguez can start his career as a weak-side linebacker and eventually move inside. He has superstar written all over him.

Grade: A+

Round 3 pick No. 75 - Texas Tech WR Caleb Douglas

Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech

Staying in-state and in school, with another Texas Tech prospect, Sullivan selected wide receiver Caleb Douglas, which was a surprise to many at this point in the draft. Although there were several more popular names at the position on the board, he has a good profile.

Douglas is nearly 6-foot-4 with 4.39 speed and has a 79-inch wingspan, which helps his catch radius and ability to go up and get 50/50 balls. He is also a very willing and able blocker who can help downfield in the run game. He is an outside receiver who can stretch the field and will compete for depth positioning as a rookie, but could eventually become a starter.

Grade: C+

Round 3 Pick No. 87 - Ohio State TE Will Kacmarek

Will Kacmarek, Ohio State

Another pick that created a bit of surprise, but makes a lot of sense when jumping into Sullivan’s mindset in what he is trying to do, is Ohio State's 6-foot-6 tight end, Will Kacmarek. As an old school style inline “Y”, he is the best blocking tight end in this year’s draft class, and extremely physical and dominant in that area of play.

He also has outstanding hands and will pretty much catch anything thrown his way.  He is an extension of the offensive line and could help bring that power component to South Florida that first-round pick Kadyn Proctor referenced in his introductory press conference.

Despite there being plenty of bigger names and popular players at other positions of need, this was a pick that went against a traditional league-wide best player available mindset, and was more so Sullivan’s best player available for his vision.

Grade: B

Round 3 Pick No. 94 - Louisville WR Chris Bell

Chris Bell, Louisville

Perhaps the pick with the most upside and that could be considered a massive steal is wide receiver Chris Bell out of Louisville. Although rebounding from an ACL tear, which was the reason for his fall to the third round, Bell is an outstanding target with flexibility at the “X” or “Z”. He was a First-Team All ACC player last season despite the late injury, and caught 72 passes for 917 yards and six touchdowns.

He has good size at 6-foot-2, and keeping to the theme of what the Dolphins are trying to implement, has a physicality that will be one of his top attributes when he gets fully healthy and on the field.

Grade: A-

Round 4 Pick No. 130 - Texas LB Trey Moore

Trey Moore, Texas

Sullivan’s first pick of Day 3 was a savvy one in versatile linebacker, Trey Moore of Texas. Although not the biggest, he makes up for that with his intelligence and outstanding spin move to make him a quality pass rusher who is very productive collegiately. He started his college career at the University of Texas-San Antonio, where he was a conference leader in tackles for loss in 2022 with 18, as well as 2023 with 17.5, while also leading in sacks with 14, before transferring to Texas for his final two seasons.

A role model type of a player, and highly intelligent, he was a finalist for the William Campbell Trophy, which is otherwise known as the Academic Heisman. He finished his two seasons at Texas with 8.5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss, along with four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and three recoveries.

Grade: B-

Round 4 Pick No. 138 - PITT LB Kyle Louis

Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh

One of the more outstanding picks in this class and a steal in the fourth round, Kyle Louis of Pittsburgh, was a team captain and has the versatility to be a nickel linebacker with safety traits for head coach Jeff Hafley. At just 6-foot-0, he makes up for his size with his 4.53 speed, athleticism, physicality, and football IQ, who can be great against the run as well as in coverage, and displays well-timed blitzing.

In his last two seasons, he had 10 sacks, 24 tackles for loss, and six interceptions. He can jump routes, and perhaps one of the more intriguing qualities could be his ability to check tight ends, which Miami has struggled with for several years.

Grade: A

Round 5 Pick No. 158 - Texas S Michael Taaffe

Michael Taaffe, Texas

Sullivan’s second Texas Longhorn and fourth from the state, safety Michael Taaffe, is excellent in coverage and can be an extension of a coach on the field. Displaying excellent processing skills and good recovery speed, he has the versatility to play multiple areas on the field, including free safety, the slot, and in the box, while being an immediate impact player on special teams, who even blocked a punt at Texas.

He has an excellent work ethic and was a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which recognizes the nation’s top player to begin his college career as a walk-on. He was a Third-Team All-American, First-Team All-SEC, as well as the winner of the Wuerffel Trophy for his community service. He can fit right in organizationally with the Miami Dolphins team that has always been among the best in that area of sports.

Grade: A-

Round 5 Pick No. 177 - Missouri WR Kevin Coleman Jr.

Kevin Coleman, Missouri

Missouri wide receiver Kevin Coleman Junior is a slot specialist who spent time at four different schools, but was able to start at each of those destinations. He can also be a viable punt returner and has solid speed, and can get himself open, which he displayed during practices at the Senior Bowl.

He is not the biggest and can work a bit on the crispness of his route running, but could be a solid weapon on the inside, who can create yardage, averaging 5.7 yards after the catch per reception during his season at Missouri. In his final year in college, he caught 66 passes for 732 yards and a touchdown, while also taking a punt for a score, averaging 12.6 yards on his 15 returns.

Round 5 Pick No. 180 – Mississippi State TE Seydou Traore

Seydou Traore, Mississippi State

A London import with a soccer background, Seydou Traore is 6-foot-4 and a fun project to develop. An “F” TE who has good hands from his goalkeeper days on the soccer pitch, the Dolphins hope his athleticism translates on the gridiron as a pass target. He shows solid speed at 4.50 in his 40-yard dash and 6.95 in the 3-cone,

He can start his NFL career on the practice squad, and as an International Pathway player is a strategic roster move by Sullivan. Traore would have been second and first, respectively, at the NFL Combine this year at the tight end position, along with a 40-inch vertical, which would have come in as the third highest. In his two seasons at Mississippi State, he caught 69 passes for 730 yards and six touchdowns, five of which came last year as a senior.

Grade: C+ (C for we will see, and the “plus” for upside potential)

Round 6 Pick No. 200 – Texas G DJ Campbell

DJ Campbell, Texas

The third Texas Longhorn selected, pure right guard DJ Campbell, is a quality depth addition to the Dolphins' interior offensive line. A strong, smart, and tough-minded player, he can be a quality run blocker at the second level in space. A good anchor in pass projection, Campbell was ranked as the seventh guard in Athletic Score at the combine, and proved very durable, being a three-year starter at Texas.

Grade: B

Round 7 Pick No. 238 – Iowa EDGE Max Llewellyn

DE Max Llewellyn, Iowa

The 6-foot-6 pass rusher has a quality set of moves to get home to the quarterback, but not the strongest or fastest edge. He can get to ball carriers in the backfield consistently, as 32% of his tackles resulted in a loss. In his four years at Iowa, he tallied 14.5 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss, 10 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two recoveries.

He showed four straight seasons of progression and had a quality senior year with 6.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss, both his best seasonal marks for his time in school. He can add depth to a pass-rushing edge group that needs bodies in the room after losing Bradley Chubb in the offseason and trading Jaelan Phillips before last season’s deadline.

Grade: B-

Sullivan has a clear vision of how he wants to build this roster with plenty of leadership and potential captains being selected. There was a clear overall theme of positional flexibility, size, athleticism, and physicality to help create a new culture and identity in South Florida. In his first draft as a head man in the war room, Sullivan, to take from his own wording from days before the selection process, hit plenty of doubles, and a few could turn into home runs.

Overall Grade: B+

More Dolphins: 2026 Dolphins undrafted free agent tracker

This article originally appeared on Dolphins Wire: Grading the Miami Dolphins' 13 picks of the 2026 NFL Draft