Rookie S Michael Taaffe could see significant snaps for Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins made seven picks on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL draft and started the final five rounds with three straight defensive players for head coach Jeff Hafley to mold and mentor. The third of that trio could be a sneaky option to see significant snaps as a rookie in Texas safety Michael Taaffe.

A versatile, cerebral defensive back with outstanding leadership skills, Taaffe is also a sensational story. A two-time Texas 6A high school state champion, he was awarded defensive MVP honors in both title games. He even intercepted future Longhorn and Dolphins’ teammate, quarterback Quinn Ewers, twice in the 2020 championship.

Taaffe could have played for several small schools with offers. Instead, he decided to stick with his five generations of family members attending the University of Texas and successfully walked on to the football program. He became a full-time starter, honorable mention All-Big 12 in 2023 and eventually a first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American selection. He was even a nominee for the Burlsworth Trophy, given to the nation’s best player to begin a football career as a walk-on.

Taaffe is gritty, has good speed and plays with anticipatory awareness and displays quality ball skills to make up for being slightly undersized. At just under 6-foot-0 and 190 pounds, he isn't the longest safety, but his football IQ and processing ability could make him a key member of Hafley’s secondary and potentially even a starter and an extension of his coach on the field.

Throughout his time at Texas, Taaffe would direct his teammates pre-snap and diagnose what the offense was about to do while getting the defense situated properly. Adding value as a two-phase player, he played over 500 snaps on special teams and could be an instant gunner.

Taaffe's positional flexibility can range from playing up in the box, in the slot and at free safety, which should be his consistent home in the NFL. He can handle several schemes from a coverage standpoint, and his tackling ability has improved throughout his four seasons in college. In 2024, he had a missed-tackle rate of 21%, but he cut that by more than half, bringing it to 9.3% in 2025.