The Miami Dolphins’ 2026 NFL Draft began with the team holding the 11th and 30th picks in the first round, but they did not make a selection at either spot. First, they traded back to the 12th position, swapping picks with the Dallas Cowboys. Then they moved up from 30 to the 27th position in a move with the San Francisco 49ers. The team still came away with two rookies to add to the roster, selecting Alabama tackle Kadyn Proctor and San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson, in what was an eventful start to the three-day selection meeting.
The reactions to the Dolphins move have been all over the board. Some analysts have given Miami high marks for their selections while others have questioned what the Dolphins were doing.
The picks have not had an immediate impact on the Dolphins’ chances to win the AFC East, according to the latest odds from FanDuel Sportsbook. Miami is still +3000 to win the division, the longest odds among the four teams in the AFC East.
Immediately after the first round ended last night, we asked for your grades on the Dolphins’ first two picks of the 2026 Draft.
The results for Miami’s select of Proctor probably reflect the analyst grades fairly well – and by that I mean without a clear consensus. A “B” grade received the most votes, coming in with 31 percent of the responses, but exactly 50 percent of the responses gave either an A or B grade while the other 50 percent was split between C, D, and F.
Proctor is clearly a polarizing pick for the Dolphins, both for the analysts and the fans. He will have to prove himself before fans are ready to fully jump on board with this pick.
The fan response to the Johnson pick was much more positive, with 42 percent rated the selection an A grade and 80 percent had it either as an A or B mark. A C grade received 14 percent while the remainder was just about evenly split between D and F.
Johnson should immediately be installed as a starter at cornerback for Miami, but there has to be some concern about the jump from San Diego State’s competition to the NFL level. If he can continue to be a ballhawk like he was in college, Johnson will be a very successful pick for the Dolphins.
Using our SB Nation Reacts surveys from across the AFC East, we can get an idea of how the fans of Miami’s division rivals are feeling after the first round. Starting with the Buffalo Bills, 58 percent of their fans gave the team an A for their multiple trades, which ultimately led to trading out of the first round, adding additional picks. That positive feeling jumps to 88 percent when you add in the B-grade responses.
Like Miami, the Patriots made moves around the draft board on Thursday – including being a part of the Bills’ trades. New England made the 28th pick, just behind Miami’s selection of Johnson, and added Utah tackle Caleb Lomu. Their fan grade poll saw 50 percent of the response land on an A mark while another 38 percent gave it a B.
Finally, the Jets made three picks on the night, starting with the second overall pick when they added Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey. They then used the 16th pick to acquire Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Just before the end of the round, New York came back into the first round to pick Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper, Jr., with the 30th overall selection. Jets fans gave the Bailey pick an A with 42 percent of the votes, the Sadiq pick a B with 32 percent, and the Cooper selection an A with 55 percent of the responses.