How six national outlets graded the Dolphins’ draft. And Miami adds more players
Assigning draft grades to teams immediately after a draft is a traditional, if largely, senseless exercise.
With that caveat, here’s how six national publications assessed the Dolphins’ draft, which included Penn State edge player Chop Robinson (21st overall), Houston left tackle Patrick Paul (55th), Tennessee running back Jaylen Wright (120), Colorado State edge player Mo Kamara (158th), Virginia receiver Malik Washington (184th), California safety Patrick McMorris (198th) and Southern Cal receiver Taj Washington (241):
▪ ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. gave Miami a B with this comment:
“Miami was hit hard in free agency as a result of a salary-cap crunch, losing guard Robert Hunt, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, linebackers Andrew Van Ginkel and Jerome Baker and cornerback Xavien Howard, among other players. And while I liked the Dolphins’ additions of linebacker Jordyn Brooks, cornerback Kendall Fuller and tight end Jonnu Smith, they have big holes to plug. Plus, they came into this draft with six picks, tied for the second fewest in the league.
“Chop Robinson (21) has elite upside if he can reach his ceiling, but when you turn on his Penn State tape, you wonder why he didn’t dominate. He had just four sacks last season. If I were running this team, I would have taken tweener defensive end/tackle Darius Robinson or center Graham Barton instead. Patrick Paul (55) is a selection for the future -- he played left tackle in college and could replace Terron Armstead there down the line. But I’m not sure he’s ready to start as a rookie for a team that really had to get instant-impact players.
“I’m a huge fan of speedy running back Jaylen Wright (120), but Miami gave up its 2025 third-rounder to get him. That’s not great value, especially for a team that doesn’t necessarily have a need at the position. I had Mohamed Kamara (158) at No. 67 overall in my rankings, so this is a fantastic pick. He had 13 sacks last season. GM Chris Grier tried to hit his void at wideout with Malik Washington (184) and Tahj Washington (241) on Day 3; Malik is the guy to watch, as he had 110 catches last season.
“I like a bunch of these players, but it’s a small class and giving up the 2025 third-rounder means it can’t make it to a B plus.”
▪ Respected analyst Warren Sharp said Miami extracted the second best value in the draft, after only Detroit. He gave Miami an A.
He said edge player Kamara provided the best value.
“The Dolphins filled needs and got great value at each draft slot,” Sharp said. “No one has an obvious path to an immediate starting job, but Chop Robinson will factor into the rotation of pass-rushers and Patrick Paul will undoubtedly be forced into action by a Terron Armstead injury at some point.”
▪ NFL.com’s Chad Reuter gave Miami a B-:
“Miami needed another edge rusher, especially with Jaelan Phillips coming off an Achilles injury and Bradley Chubb coming off a torn ACL, but Robinson must show he can be a factor in the run game and convert pressures into sacks more regularly in the NFL. Left tackle Terron Armstead’s difficulty staying on the field made Paul a good pick in the second round. The teams’ forfeiture of its third-round pick dragged down its grade.
“Trading a future third-round pick for a fourth in the current draft is usually not wise, and Miami has a few backs in the stable already, but finding a potential star in Wright waiting around made it easier to swallow. It would not surprise me if the relentless Kamara is as productive as Robinson early in his career. Both pass-catchers with the surname Washington (not related) will flourish as tough-minded slot receivers in Mike McDaniel’s offense.”
▪ Fox’s Henry McKenna gave Miami a B: “You had to laugh when the Dolphins took Jaylen Wright, the draft’s second-fastest running back. Last year, they took DeVon Achane, one of the fastest players in the NFL. But that didn’t stop them from bringing more speed into the offense in the fourth round.
“Wright followed a good get in the first round in Chop Robinson, an edge rusher who’ll help the team manage snaps for Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb, who both ended last year with major injuries. They also managed to snap up a tackle in Patrick Paul, who will develop behind Armstead. It was a great draft, one that matched value with need.”
▪ CBS’ Chris Trapasso gave the Dolphins a B-: “I like many of the prospects the Dolphins picked, but their plan was somewhat confusing. Robinson was my EDGE1. Sensible. Paul is the opposite of a scheme fit for what McDaniel asks of his blockers. Wright is a rocket when given space, which is fun, but now the running back room is super crowded.
“I’m all about adding more weapons at receiver today, but two slot types? Although Malik Washington was a second-round talent on my board, which is why I gave that a perfect grade.”
▪ Pro Football Focus gave Miami a B-.
A few of their comments:
“Robinson could be considered a bit of a reach, but his potential is undeniable. He has dimensions of power and speed in his pass-rush arsenal. He also earned a 93.9 pass-rush grade over the past two seasons, which ranks second among FBS edge defenders — behind the Colts’ Laiatu Latu…
“Paul has terrific length and movement skills. He led all FBS tackles in 2023 with a 91.5 PFF pass-blocking grade… Wright’s career-best 91.0 PFF grade in 2023 paced all backs in the SEC after racking up over 7.4 yards per carry, the second-highest rate among Power-Five backs.
“Kamara is explosive — he recorded a 4.57-second 40 and a 10-foot-3 broad jump — but has a limited frame at 6-foot-2 and 249 pounds. Over the last three years, he ranks in the 94th percentile of qualifying edge rushers in pass-rush grade on true pass sets…
“Malik Washington is the second-highest-graded receiver in 2023, behind only Malik Nabers. Tahj Washington is small but was really productive at the college level…. McMorris wasn’t ranked on the PFF big board or the consensus board this year.”
MORE PLAYERS ADDED
In addition to the 10 Dolphins rookie free agent additions that we detailed here, the Dolphins signed at least two other undrafted rookies over the weekend: safety Jordan Colbert (who spent three years at Columbia and then two at Rhode Island) and Wisconsin tight end Hayden Rucci, who started 10 games last season and had 17 catches for 200 yards in 35 college games.
That gives Miami at least 12 players who have standard contracts - with varying amounts of guaranteed money - that count toward the 90-player roster limit. It’s possible, if not likely, that there might be more that simply haven’t leaked. Miami hasn’t announced its post-draft signings.
The Dolphins began Sunday with a handful of spots below that maximum of 90 players that teams can carry during the offseason.
▪ Players invited to try out for the team during a rookie mini-camp don’t count toward that 90 number.
Among those who accepted invitations to audition during the Dolphins’ rookie minicamp in a couple of weeks: seldom-used UF backup quarterback Michael Leon; Virginia Tech 290-pound defensive tackle Mario Kendricks (who has 17 tackles for loss and 7 sacks in five years for the Hokies); and linebacker Geoff Cantin-Arku, who had a combined 19.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, one interception and four forced fumbles in three years at Syracuse and then two at Memphis.
▪ Per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, the Dolphins are giving $247,500 in guaranteed money to offensive line prospect Bayron Matos, whose college football experience was limited to defensive and special teams snaps for USF in games against BYU and Howard.
USF moved him to the offensive line, but he never played in any games on that side of the ball.
Matos, a former college basketball player at New Mexico and a native of the Dominican Republic, is one of 16 players who was selected for the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program, designed to give opportunities to foreign players.
He trained at IMG Academy in Bradenton.
