While a rebuild is never easy the Miami Dolphins gave fans a reason to be optimistic with the play of their 2026 rookie class thus far this season and those in sports media have taken notice.
Much can be said about their decision to hand Malik Willis a fat contract in free agency, as it appears he is not the answer at the starting quarterback position, but when it comes to drafting, the new Dolphins brain trust is looking smart thus far.
SI updated their rookie rankings and here is where the Dolphins’ rookies stack up:
1. LB Jacob Rodriguez (Previously: 1)
2. CB Chris Johnson Jr. (Previously: 4)
3. G Kadyn Proctor (Previously: 3)
4. TE Will Kacmarek (Previously: 5)
5. WR Chris Bell (Previously: 2)
6. WR Caleb Douglas (Previously: 6)
7. S Michael Taaffe (Previously: 7)
8. WR Kevin Coleman Jr. (Previously: 9)
9. FB DJ Herman (Previously: 8)
10. TE Seydou Traore (Previously: 10)
11. TE Justin Joly (Previously: 11)
12. G DJ Campbell (Previously: 12)
13. EDGE/LB Trey Moore (Previously: 13)
14. S Kyle Louis (Previously: 14)
It’s safe to say that this NFL Draft class may be one of the more successful, overall, the Dolphins have had in several years and while some of their free agency decisions haven’t proven to yield much, there is no knocking the draft and with 2027 (and to some degree 2028) looking like the most important NFL Draft the Dolphins have had in years fans can have some confidence that this staff knows what they are doing.
Dolphins’ Impressive Rookie Class Ranked