When the 2026 NFL Draft rolls around in late April, Miami Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan needs to hit it out of the park. In what is considered to be a rather weak class of incoming players, Sullivan has to do the exact opposite of what Chris Grier did.
The Super Bowl teams proved one thing, if nothing else, draft class matters. Building your team from the inside out matters. Relying on developing and retaining players, well, yeah, that matters too.
CBS Sports' Josh Edwards took the time to rank every NFL team's draft from the 2025 season. The Super Bowl teams ranked well, but the Dolphins found themselves sitting at the bottom of 32 teams.
CBS 2025 draft ranking places the Miami Dolphins exactly where they should be
Dolphins fans may laugh at the Patriots for their blowout loss in the Super Bowl, but Edwards gave them the number two spot on his list. Will Campbell was one of the worst-rated offensive tackles in Super Bowl history, but his play throughout the season was at least promising.
Seattle, on the other hand, landed in the 8th spot with two premium contributors in guard Grey Zabel and safety Nick Emmanwori, a player that many predicted would be a Dolphins' target. Solid drafts build teams up, not tear them down.
Fans of the Dolphins need to scroll way down the page to find Miami. Edwards lists the Dolphins with zero "year-one" hits. He isn't wrong. Grier's use of his draft allotment didn't progress nearly as fast as they should have.
Grier also missed on landing several of the selections that made positive impacts on other teams' rosters.
The biggest failure may not end up being a failure for long. Miami drafted three defensive tackles in 2025. Jordan Phillips showed promise, as did 7th-round pick Zeke Biggers. It was Kenneth Grant who was the huge disappointment.
Grant may not have lived up to his first-round draft position, but his problems pale in comparison to second-round pick Jonah Savaiianea, whom Grier traded up to get. The guard was abysmal in 2025 and is so far from being average that Jeff Hafley may need to find an alternate option in 2026.
Edwards gave the Dolphins a D-. He must have been grading on a curve, or just felt it necessary not have a team with an "F" grade. Sullivan will be tasked with finding the right players that fit the system and model they want to build. He is banking on his experience in Green Bay, but how much can he truly rely on the Dolphins' scouting department for solutions?