The Miami Dolphins made a league-high 13 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft. Of those 13 picks, 10 of them came after the second round. So, from a sheer volume perspective, there’s plenty of rookie sleeper opportunity for the Miami Dolphins this season. CBS Sports’ Josh Edwards, though, sees tight end Will Kacmarek as the team’s most-likely rookie breakout candidate.
Edwards included the third-rounder on his list of 10 AFC first-year players “who could surprise NFL fans in 2026.”
“Kacmarek is best known for his blocking contributions. As the Dolphins began the reconstruction of their roster, they traded away wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and reached a contract extension with running back De’Von Achane. Listen to the message teams are trying to send through their actions. Achane is a foundational piece to the new offense and they’ll need a blocker like Kacmarek to spring some of those long runs,” wrote Edwards.
“Kacmarek is a big tight end (6-foot-6, 258) who spent this season behind second-round pick Max Klare and never had more than 22 receptions in a collegiate season. He looks to possess a skill set capable of achieving more in the pass game.”
Miami picked Kacmarek at No. 87 overall in the third round. At Ohio State last season, the tight end had 15 catches, 168 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Dolphins TE Will Kacmarek Makes ‘Surprise’ Rookie List
GettyThe Miami Dolphins selected tight end Will Kacmarek in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Kacmarek was the second tight end from Ohio State off the board in the 2026 NFL Draft. Typically, that’s not a great sign for a player’s NFL projection.
But similar to Notre Dame having two first-round worthy running backs, Ohio State had two Day 2 caliber tight ends this year. Ohio State tight end Max Klare went in the second round to the Los Angeles Rams.
No longer in Klare’s shadow with the Buckeyes, Edwards sees Kacmarek potentially doing more as a pass-catcher in Miami. At the very least, he will provide the Dolphins quality run blocking as a rookie.
Kacmarek began his college career at Ohio before transferring to Ohio State ahead of the 2024 campaign. In both 2022 and 2023 with Ohio, he had at least 20 catches and more than 240 receiving yards.
Dolphins TE Depth Entering 2026 NFL Training Camp
GettyCBS Sports’ Josh Edwards named Miami Dolphins tight end Will Kacmarek to a list of potential AFC surprise rookies for the 2026 NFL season.
Kacmarek was one of two tight ends the Dolphins picked in the 2026 NFL Draft. The other was Mississippi State’s Seydou Traore at No. 180 overall during the fifth round.
That pair will provide depth behind veterans Greg Dulcich and Ben Sims. Fellow veteran Cole Turner is also on the offseason roster.
In his first season with the Dolphins last year, Dulcich had 26 catches for 335 yards with one touchdowns. Sims will enter his first season with Miami this fall. Last year, he split the campaign with the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. Overall, Sims had three catches for 30 yards.
Those tight ends have the experience to be the top two options at the position in Miami this fall. But they aren’t established enough that Kacmarek won’t be able to carve out a role if he earns one.
It wouldn’t be shocking if Kacmarek is Miami’s top pass-catching option at tight end by the end of 2026.
The Dolphins concluded offseason workouts on June 11. The team will begin training camp in mid-to-late July.
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