If you will allow me some leeway here, I want to try and change your perspective. Not only was this GM Jon Eric-Sullivan’s first NFL Draft experience, but it’s very important to remember that he was drafting to try and replace nearly half the roster. Chris Grier, our former GM left this team in an awful state. The most obvious issue to anyone from the outside was the cap situation, we came into the season over the cap. Before undertaking his, or really their, because Sully and Haf are really the synergistic duo who are in charge of the team. Together, they just purged the roster of a bunch of high price salaried players that let’s face it, didn’t have what it takes to get it done here. QB Tua Tagovailoa, WR Jaylen Waddle, EDGE Bradley Chubb, WR Tyreek Hill, OL Liam Eichenberg, OL James Daniels, WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, FB Alec Ingold, and K Jason Sanders. If you loved any of these players, forgive me, but they were part of the problem here. They’re part of the reason this team has been considered “soft”, and why this team could never really contend during the Grier/McDaniel. All the shiny stars in the world weren’t going to win here in Miami with the weak type of mindset of Grier/McDaniel, routinely rewarding players with salary bumps and contract extensions during a period where we made the playoffs twice and were out and out embarrassed looking like we didn’t belong on the field with the other team. Those days are OVER!!!!
We all need to realize the tremendous undertaking it was for Sully and Haf, knowing this team in tremendously disadvantageous cap situation. There will be no big spending to help fill the roster and better the roster once Free Agency begins and teams start cutting veteran players. I’m not saying we won’t make any moves, but we simply don’t have any space to make big purchase. Sullivan realized he had to fill the roster through the draft and UDFA’s, and we made 13 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. Some of you hated at least half of them, and maybe national talking heads did too, but none of that matters. I explained yesterday that Sully and Haf may have changed the entire culture here in just one draft. The guys selected are “their guys”, and it was quite clear to me that Sully and Haf wanted physical players that want to get at it. These guys will run through a wall for HC Jeff Hafley and for their teammates. Do you not see the contrast to what we had here before? “Me” guys, not team players. There will be no “You get to pick the music for today’s practice Jaylen because you had a very good practice today!” I could vomit just thinking of that. Good practices will now be expected from every player and will be rewarded by playing better in the games and remaining on the roster.
Despite taking players that weren’t high on many boards, throughout the draft we Sully took physical players, because he wants this team to be a bigger, more physically imposing team. Our new OL Kadyn Proctor sure enough is big at 6’7 352. CB Chris Johnson isn’t really big, but he’s a “dog” and big enough at 6’0 193. LB Jacob Rodriguez who’s selection was blessed by none other than former Texas Tech LB and Hall of Fame LB Zach Thomas tells you all you need to know. This guy forced the most fumbles in the history of college football with 12, and had 7 FF’s last season. The WR’s we picked are also “dogs”, physical guys that are either difficult to bring down after the catch and aggressive making contested catches.The TE we drafted Will Kacmarek is hands down the best blocking TE in the draft. One guy who probably can’t wait to see these guys is RB De’Von Achane because Proctor and Kacmarek mean more yards for him! We drafted LB Kyle Louis who will be a chess piece. Undersized as a LB, Louis has very good cover skills and excellent athleticism and will be used like a LB/S hybrid.
We took our first EDGE rusher in RD 4 taking yet another player from Texas, Trey Moore. Not sure how much he can help this season, but the draft is never only about one season. That’s even more clear with the selection of WR Chris Bell in RD 3, who is coming off a late 2025 ACL tear. He will probably start the season on IR, and who knows, may finish on it too, but when healthy, Bell was a potential 1st RD pick.Bell is a big, thick WR at 6’2 222. He’s a tough receiver thats willing to fight for the ball and extra yards as well after the catch. IN RD 5 the Dolphins took, whaddaya know, another Texas player in S Michael Taffe. An undersized S with solid ball skills with 7 INT’s in his 5 year career and apparently he is QB Quinn Ewers best friend. We took a TE, a receiving TE in RD 5 Seydou Traore who is an international player, but a developing player at the TE position. We finally took another OL in RD 6, OG DJ Campbell from none other than Texas. We finished off the draft with another EDGE rusher Max Llewellyn. Here’s our entire draft haul . . .
RD 1 #12 OT Kadyn Proctor 6’7 352 – Alabama
RD 1 #27 CB Chris Johnson 6’0 193 – San Diego State
RD 2 #43 LB Jacob Rodriguez 6’1 238 – Texas Tech
RD 3 #75 WR Caleb Douglas 6’3 206 – Texas Tech
RD 3 #87 TE Will Kacmarek 6’5 261 – Ohio State
RD 3 #94 WR Chris Bell 6’2 222 – Louisville
RD 4 #130 EDGE Trey Moore 6’2 243 – Texas
RD 4 #138 LB Kyle Louis 6’0 220 – Pittsburgh
RD 5 #158 S Michael Taffe 6’0 190 – Texas
RD 5 #177 WR Kevin Coleman 5’10 179 – Missouri
RD 5 #180 TE Seydou Traore 6’3 233 – Mississippi State
RD 6 #200 DJ Campbell 6’3 313 – Texas
RD 7 #238 EDGE Max Llewellyn 6’6 258 – Iowa
So, 13 players in all, quite a haul. Once again my friends, culture change, and lord knows we need that so badly here. I think it’s the thing I hated most about this team was their inability to ever step up in a crunch moment. There are always exceptions on a big 53 man roster, and believe you me, ILB Jordyn Brooks, who is a “DOG”, will love playing next to Jacob Rodriguez, also a “dog” and fellow Red Raider. How many times did we hear from former Dolphins player how soft our team was? How many times did we witness how soft this team was, and that was partially HC Mike McDaniel, and certainly the players like Tua who never met a big moment he didn’t melt in, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle. None of those guys showed up big in big moments when it was needed.
I’m so looking forward to “seeing” the culture change, not hearing about. I can’t wait to see these guys in action. I’m not expecting to compete for a divisional crown this year but I expect this team to win at least half a dozen games or more this season. To me, that would be impressive after the extensive purge we went through. I want to observe a more physical team, we’ll know it when see it, and I think we’;re going to see it a lot. We’re going to see what big collection of “dogs” can do and how infectious it is to the entire team. Can’t wait to see it!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
Finsmob Unleashed 
kool-Aid is very bad for you
It can lead to diabetus
My friend Wilford Brimley says step away
You lost me at “change your perspective”.
Then you saved yourself from reading a long article! lol
you may have swayed me a little…
Rock – It’s not Kool Aid if it’s your own opinion, and this is my opinion. I haven’t read anyone else’s take on this, this is what I believe to have happened. It’s only Kool Aid if you drink what I’m putting out. LOL
I’m willing to see how these picks play out, Sulley wanted a certain type of player to start and he feels he got them. It’s not sustainable to keep drafting that way and perhaps he won’t next time you have to take the best talent and with solid base in place those guys will stand a better chance at success going forward.
Proctor, Bell and Kacmerak I think totally help change our offense to being much more physical.
after a few nights of mediocre sleep, I can definitely see what they are doing. The part that I won’t budge on is not taking Downs. Not because I wanted him more than any other player, but because we had a chance to add an elite prospect, and we passed on it. You don’t get that opportunity often.
Rodriguez makes up for not taking Downs, they’re both football junkies, leaders
If we took Downs we would’ve been on the outside after the OL run
we have Jackson for another year. It wasn’t a real need.
I don’t think we’ll be doing things like that next year. I think we definitely had big needs and chose to fill them rather than take the best prospect. We really were in a bad situation.
A writer from USA Today had a list of the top ten steals of the draft.
6. Kyle Lewis
2. Chris Bell
I agree 2 great picks
last time we played in GB Thanksgiving night, Sully and Hafley got to see how soft this team really was
change is a good thing, this time around
don’t sleep on Kevin Coleman, he’s a great punt returner and using those same skills from the slot
I figured we took him as a returner when I saw the pick.
https://www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/MIA
our lads has updated the depth chart
and although they dont really know anything yet there re a couple of interesting things
2. Kyle Louis is a safety. Or at least listed as a backup safety. I’m really curious to see the Louis, Trader, Taffe trio of young safeties
3. Rodriguez backs up Brooks. Not sure about this one. I think maybe he starts along side Brooks. That’s a pretty good set of ILB
4. Bell and Douglas start. All I can say to this is I HOPE SO. If we drafted out two starting WRs in the 3rd, that was a really good round.
5. Kacmerek is not starting. I think we are going to see a lot of two TE sets next season Dulcich and Kacmerek are probably going to be big parts of this offense. The nfl saw more two TE sets last year than it ever has. It’s a growing tend.
Proctor may also be the LG with Jonah, Salyer and Campbell fighting for the RG spot. Either way our O-line should be better
this is like a 2027 mock draft, just a little premature for my liking
Kacmerek seemed like a reach to me when he was drafted. I wanted an OG in the 3rd like Pregnon or Dunker. But after watching Kacmerek a little I realized he is a guard you don’t have to declare as eligible on plays.
dude is a mauler
it’s noteworthy that 2 TE sets are a Growing trend in the nfl. Offenses are getting bigger to take advantage of smaller defenses.
it felt lie, we didn’t build the trenches enough on draft day – but maybe I just didn’t get the vision initially.
Kacmerek – who I think will play a lot as a rookie makes us a much more physical offense
Achane is going to have a big season
Mike E,
Great write Mike E. I’m glad you guys recognize the importance of having Dogs .🐕
hopefully THESE Dogs don’t leave yard cigars on the field every week 🐕💩
LOL!
”I don’t think we’ll be doing things like that next year. I definitely think we had big needs to fill.”
This is EXACTLY my point. we didn’t take a best player available because we had so many needs. Then you take it the best player available and you will have a stronger team in the future. You’re basically saying that we took less talented players because we had to fill needs. I think the opposite if we have so many needs, let’s fill them with the best players available. We will have Talented team in the future if we have better talent on the team.
According to Sully, he took BPA
but I guess the draft “experts” in the media know what’s best, prolly why them call themselves experts
I’m hoping sooner rather than later (maybe by 2027), we’ll be seeing Campbell, Proctor, and Kacmerek opening huge holes on that right side!!!
J-Rod and Louis are definitely my favorite picks, but I also like the Chris Johnson, Trey Moore, Chris Bell, and Kacmerek picks.
if you look at how bad our numbers were last year in pass D, for me the worst stat, I’d have to say the Chris Johnson pick was a slam dunk and our best pick
Chris Bell not far behind
worst pick Douglas, but don’t hate that pick, it was just odd at the time, and still not sure how his college drops will affect his NFL career
blocked again.
Lol. Oh sure…that one goes thru.
Brian in NY
says:
April 26, 2026 at 11:20 am (Edit)
You’re basically saying that we took less talented players because we had to fill needs.
*********************************************
Not really, but you know as well as I know that Austin Jackson is a huge question mark. He’s missed more than half the season two consecutive years in a row, 20 games to be exact. So although it’s very convenient for you to say we have Austin Jackson, I say “Do we?”. To add, if Jackson is a big question mark, and so are both OG spots, I’m sorry, but that is a big need right there, it just is. The Giants took Reese because they needed a pass rusher, but at 10 with Mauigoa and Downs on the board, they took Mauigoa. My guess is Sully had Downs rated around the same as he had Proctor, factored in our needs on the O-line, calculated (correctly!) that the run on OT’s had begun and that he better grab his favorite or else!
We can downplay signing Malik Willis to a 3 year contract but the GM has a responsibility to give his QB adequate protection. If Austin Jackson goes down, we know Proctor should be fine at RT, and then either Salyer, Savaiinaea or Campbell will be the 2 OG’s. I understand that you think Downs is a generational player, and he might be, but in this difficult position we were in, to me it was the right decision to go OT.
Dogs are of utmost importance! Wish one particular “doggy” could be here more. In any case, good to see ya when you’re here!
I know some have mentioned trading Brooks after drafting some LBs, but I want him to stay. I think Brooks and J-Rod playing together will be a lot of fun for us fans.
Thanks for the write-up and draft recap, Mike E.
YW Rich! I look forward to seeing the 2 Red Raiders play together at LB!
https://x.com/WillisMuse/status/2047841489951023379?s=20