The Miami Dolphins made some rather dubious selections amongst the 13 members of their 2026 NFL Draft class. Few were as polarizing or deemed such a massive reach as Ohio State tight end Will Kacmarek.
In fact, both Kacmarek and fellow third-round pick, Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas, have drawn rather rave reviews at Dolphins training camp. Who would've thought!? Not the vast majority of the draftnik community, that's for sure.
Kacmarek wasn't on my radar whatsoever, especially since the 2026 class was considered quite deep at tight end. However, upon further reflection in June, I realized why Kacmarek is just what Miami needs. And boy did he ever fortify that notion in his first preseason action against the Commanders.
Will Kacmarek already a blocking menace for the Miami Dolphins in preseason debut
PFF's big board rated Will Kacmarek as the 383rd-ranked overall prospect in this year's draft. Caleb Douglas was 156th. New Dolphins GM Jon-Eric Sullivan chose them with the 87th and 75th picks, respectively.
Sullivan cackled in the face of the so-called consensus. It's paying massive dividends through Kacmarek's early days as a pro.
With such a lowly prospect ranking, you'd think Kacmarek wouldn't even be worthy of an NFL roster. Tell that to rising ninth-year veteran defensive tackle Shy Tuttle. In an excellent film analysis on Instagram by @film.watchers1, we see the 6'6", 258-pound Kacmarek take on the 300-pound Tuttle and get the job done. Here's what the tale of the tape was from the breakdown:
"Shy Tuttle initially releases to the outside so that makes it a bit easier on Kacmarek, but he still does a great job of gaining ground with that first step, getting that helmet across swinging that butt around that seals Tuttle to the outside, and that block is what helps create a nice gain on the ground for the Dolphins. […] Another rep here against Shy Tuttle, they trust him enough to run it directly behind him on the goal line and it's another similar zone block…That run hits directly behind Kacmarek for a touchdown."
Can you name even a few tight ends who can handle business one-on-one with a defensive tackle? Not many of those dudes are growing on trees. I suppose the new Dolphins scouting department recognized that when they watched Kacmarek's Ohio State film.
In addition to some obvious run-blocking prowess, Kacmarek even took a rep in pass protection, one-on-one with Commanders rookie EDGE Joshua Josephs. Kacmarek over-set on the play, yet still managed to recover against a player who was regarded as PFF's No. 63 overall prospect.
Long story short, Kacmarek can get it done as a run blocker and in the passing game. This should have head coach Jeff Hafley fast-tracking the rookie to the TE2 role alongside Greg Dulcich, who's more of a pass-catching threat than a tenacious blocker.
If Kacmarek can keep this up, Miami can run a lot of multiple tight end sets, or at least live a lot in 12 personnel. Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik would love to dial up runs with Kacmarek as an extra blocking asset, which will only help the likes of De'Von Achane and Malik Willis eat up yards on the ground and keep the Dolphins' vulnerable defense off the field.
Is it really possible that Kacmarek is the literal X-factor upon which this entire offense's ceiling is determined? Would've looked at you like you had six heads, dear reader, if you posited this to me mere months ago. Now it's definitely on the table.
Add us as a preferred source on Google