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The Miami Dolphins came into the 2026 NFL Draft with a plan to make a ton of selections. They owned 11 picks coming into the first-round, and walked out with 13 total picks after a pair of trades.
However, the two trades they made drew some criticism from fans and media alike. While neither of their moves was as shocking as the Los Angeles Rams taking Ty Simpson, the Dolphins' two trades weren't well-received.
ESPN's Seth Walder gave the Dolphins a pair of lousy grades for their trades with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. It was not a great debut for Jon-Eric Sullivan on draft night from a trade perspective.
Dolphins get overall lousy grade for NFL Draft trades
Walder gave the Dolphins a B grade for their first trade with the Cowboys. They sent the No. 11 pick to Dallas for the No. 12 pick alongside the Nos. 177 and 180 picks in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
"This was also a fine move for the Dolphins," Walder writes. "They added a couple of Day 3 picks and drafted a player - Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor - they arguably would have selected anyway."
That's a good reason to be excited about this trade, but the Dolphins passed on the chance to select Caleb Downs, a safety who's been widely regarded as one of the best safety prospects in some time.
But the worst was yet to come for the Dolphins. Walder gave the Dolphins a lousy C grade for their second trade of the night.
Miami sent the No. 30 and the No. 90 picks to the 49ers in exchange for the No. 27 and the No. 138 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. They took San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson with this pick, who isn't a bad player, but the cost of this move up was not ideal.
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"Some will say this move makes sense because the Dolphins still have three third-rounders, but that is shortsighted," Walder writes. "Just because the Dolphins acquired extra draft assets doesn't mean they should give them away for less than they're worth!"
Miami spent its 90th overall pick, a decently valuable pick in the third-round, to move up three spots at the back-end of Round 1.
They got back the 138th pick, so Miami moved back 48 spots to move up three spots for a player that might've been on the board anyway.
The C grade is an appropriate one for this deal, as the Dolphins might've overspent to move up with the belief that one of their four third-rounders is worth expending.
But that's not a good mindset to have, especially for a team like Miami that has so many holes on the roster that they need as many premium picks as they can have.
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