It will be repeated over and over leading up to and during the 2026 NFL season that this year is less about wins and losses for the Miami Dolphins and more about developing the team's young players. National outlets continue to rank the Dolphins as a bottom dweller for the upcoming season, and with a projected 4.5-win total by Vegas, it's easy to understand why.
Miami led the NFL with 13 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft, and with a chaotic payroll that is paying a large chunk of it to players no longer here, the Dolphins will lean heavily on their young prospects. From the start, though, criticisms over Miami's draft class began to pour in -- including from yours truly.
Beginning with the selection of Kadyn Proctor over prospects like Caleb Downs and the hometown Rueben Bain Jr. to the relative reach of Caleb Douglas, it was hard to make of what new general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan was trying to accomplish at first.
What was apparent, though, shortly thereafter was the culture that Sullivan was trying to build. While that word is often overused in sports, it's an important aspect that a good GM needs to muster in order to build a successful team. Just over two months later and ahead of training camps, some outlets may already be figuring out what the Dolphins are doing -- and they like what they see.
Sports Illustrated boosts Miami Dolphins' 2026 draft class in re-rankings
For starters, the tide on Proctor is already starting to change. Although it's far from thrilling that Miami's first first-round selection will be set at guard this coming season, the consensus belief is that he will be the Dolphins' right tackle of the future beyond this year, assuming Austin Jackson is no longer in the picture.
In truth, given Jackson's injury history, there's a good chance we'll see Proctor man that right side sometime this season. Nevertheless, now that he's been in the building, fans have been able to witness how much of a mountain of a man Proctor is, and it's caused the most excitement surrounding the offensive line in several years.
In re-ranking every 2026 NFL Draft class before training camp starts, Sports Illustrated's Justin Melo addressed the concerns of taking Proctor so high, calling him a "slight reach." Yet, Melo was positive when it came to Miami's next two selections, noting that Chris Johnson will "play right away" in a weakened cornerback room. The SI analyst also called the Dolphins' second-round pick, Jacob Rodriguez, the team's "best pick."
It's a slightly different tune that Melo is using now, as he has the Dolphins at 12th in his re-rankings after initially ranking them 16th shortly after the draft. With zero games yet to have been played nor reps to gauge from training camp, it's somewhat difficult to see where the change of heart is coming from.
However, Rodriguez recently nailed the advantage the Dolphins' new draft class has to team reporter Travis Wingfield.
"Something that's been told to our class a lot is, you know, we're the quietest rookie class that we've ever they've ever had. [...] In the building, we're all here to work, and we all we all kind of prioritize the time that we're here and it makes it easy," said Rodriguez.
When thinking of advantages on the football field, being quiet is not typically something that comes to mind. However, what Rodriguez said makes a ton of sense, and it's a nice change from what we're accustomed to when it comes to Miami.
Sullivan made it a point to draft players with high IQs. And by taking players like Johnson, Rodriguez, and Kyle Louis, he's done his due diligence of selecting players he believes give the Dolphins the best opportunity to win -- and not just adding players who simply want to live in Miami.
Depending on young players should result in this being a long season for the Dolphins. Yet, that doesn't mean it won't be an exciting one. Even if Miami is picking in the top five next April as most project, the Dolphins could turn some heads this year and get fans excited about the future.
And while the jury remains out on guys like Proctor and Douglas, they'll be on the field all season and given every opportunity to prove Sullivan right and get better. When it comes to developing young talent, that's all anyone could ask for.
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