{"id":246873,"date":"2026-04-26T01:53:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T01:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/246873\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T01:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T01:53:09","slug":"miami-dolphins-beef-up-the-roster-through-2026-nfl-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/246873\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Dolphins beef up the roster through 2026 NFL Draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a tonality, a consistent theme that was weaved throughout the Miami Dolphins first draft of this new regime.<\/p>\n

Size. Physical players. Individuals with chips on their shoulders.<\/p>\n

Talents the Dolphins\u2019 new decision-makers coveted that maybe everyone else didn\u2019t have the same viewpoint of.<\/p>\n

We won\u2019t know if any of these 13 draftees are tough enough to shine in the NFL, and don\u2019t know if they can bring a winning culture to South Florida\u2019s deflated franchise till later.<\/p>\n

But the mold the Dolphins are building off was consistent, followed through with few exceptions. And if all 13 make the 53-man roster or the practice squad, and are healthy enough to contribute in 2026 and beyond, these draftees should serve as the new foundation for the new-look Dolphins.<\/p>\n

\u201cIron sharpens iron, you know what I mean?\u201d newly hired general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan warned on the second day of the 2026 draft, which happened to be his first draft steering a franchise\u2019s future. \u201cAnybody in this building that is afraid of competition, or doesn\u2019t welcome it, or embrace it, shouldn\u2019t be here. That\u2019s where we are. It\u2019s pretty simple.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Sullivan, the theme of the draft was to add good football players who \u201ccan do different things,\u201d because \u201cthe more you do, the more value you bring.\u201d<\/p>\n

First-round pick Kadyn Proctor, who is listed a 6-foot-7, 352 pounds, is the largest player in the 2026 NFL Draft. He\u2019s added to replace Austin Jackson, who is entering the final year of his existing deal.<\/p>\n

Will Kacmarek, the Dolphins\u2019 second of three third-round picks, is viewed by many draft analysts as the best in-line blocking tight end. He\u2019s added to replace Julian Hill, who signed as a free agent.<\/p>\n

Chris Bell is a 6-2, 220-pound receiver who would have been a top-50 selection, likely a lock for the first round if he tested well at the Combine and came back with a clean medical report. But he tore an ACL in his left knee in late November and is four and a half months into a grueling rehab process.<\/p>\n

The hope is that he will be healthy enough to contribute to the team as a rookie while he heals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think most would tell you if he wouldn\u2019t have gotten injured, he\u2019s probably not sitting there anywhere close to where we got him,\u201d Sullivan said of Bell, whom the Dolphins used the 94th pick to select in the third round.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m physical,\u201d Bell said. \u201cA lot of [defensive backs] can\u2019t deal with a big guy like me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Same might be said for Caleb Douglas, Miami\u2019s first receiver drafted in 2026. He\u2019s a 6-4 and 206 pounds who ran a 4.39 at the NFL Combine, and is viewed as a red-zone weapon, a master of catching contested 50-50 balls.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins also added Missouri slot receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. in the fifth round. That\u2019s a trio of new receivers for Malik Willis.<\/p>\n

Chris Johnson, Miami\u2019s second of two first-round picks, was the second cornerback selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Coincidentally, or not, he\u2019s one of this draft\u2019s biggest cornerbacks with speed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was one of my favorite guys in the draft,\u201d coach Jeff Hafley said. \u201cHe has good size to him. good length to him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Johnson has the speed, athleticism and versatility to play multiple positions in Miami\u2019s secondary \u2014 keeping things fluid.<\/p>\n

So does Texas linebacker Kyle Moore, a former American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and Pittsburgh linebacker Kyle Louis, who were two of Miami\u2019s seven third-day picks.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Dolphins aren\u2019t just getting a great player,\u201d Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi said of Louis, who recorded 201 tackles, 10 sacks and six interceptions in his 37 games with the Panthers. \u201cThey\u2019re getting a competitor who elevates everyone in the locker room.\u201d<\/p>\n

That seems to be a common theme.<\/p>\n

Former Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez is the most decorated college defender in the nation from last season, a turnover machine the Dolphins labeled as the flag-bearer for this draft class, which Hafley hopes will change the culture of a franchise that hasn\u2019t won a playoff game since 2000.<\/p>\n

Rodriguez and Texas safety Michael Taaffe, whom the Dolphins selected with the 158th pick, were both former walk-ons who rose to the highest level of college football.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe embodies everything that coach Hafley and Jon-Eric want to build here with his makeup,\u201d Jon Robinson, the former Tennessee Titans general manager, who now serves as a senior executive. \u201cA former walk-on who has busted his tail to earn everything he\u2019s given\u2026. It\u2019s hard in the scouting world to measure how much a guy truly loves football, but when you get a former walk-on, who earns being an elected team captain twice, that speaks in volume to his passion for the game.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is the type of dedication and tenacity Hafley wants to become part of Miami\u2019s DNA moving forward.<\/p>\n

And it\u2019s this draft class that\u2019s supposed to provide the coding for that DNA.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 8:47 PM.<\/p>\n


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