The Miami Dolphins' first NFL Draft under the leadership of head coach Jeff Hafley and GM Jon-Eric Sullivan was a mixed bag. While they were considered to have reached on players like Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Douglas, some of their mid-round picks were considered to be marvelous value picks.
Landing Jacob Rodriguez in the second round was widely considered to be one of the better selections in this class, but Dane Brugler of The Athletic thinks that Miami may have done its best work on Day 3 this year. Two of their late picks were ranked among his biggest steals.
Brugler declared fourth-round hybrid defender Kyle Louis, picked No. 138 overall, as a huge steal after ranking him 75th overall on his "The Beast" big board. Brugler also thinks Miami nailed with pass rusher Max Llewellyn in the seventh round (No. 238 overall), as Brugler believed he was a top-130 player in this class.
Miami Dolphins' Kyle Louis, Max Llewellyn listed as 2 of Dane Brugler's biggest 2026 NFL Draft steals
Louis likely fell because teams didn't know if he profiles better as a bigger, hard-hitting safety or a smaller, speed-first linebacker. The Dolphins seem to be willing to let the Swiss Army Knife play many different roles as he tries to stick in the pros.
If the Dolphins end up eventually parting ways with Jordyn Brooks, they could get their linebacker room sorted out for the next half-decade with Rodriguez and Louis making a smaller, yet very instinctual and explosive, duo at the heart of their defense.
Llewellyn is not just a seventh-round dart throw, as he will come into camp with a good deal of developed pass rush moves and experience making plays against experienced Big Ten tackles. He can play the run much better than most of the common rabble picked around this range.
Llewellyn may need to show that he can get a touch more explosive as an athlete. With 6.5 sacks last season, standing out as his best pass-rushing season to date, teams may have wanted to see just a tad more production than what he put together in his last season with the Hawkeyes.
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