Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is done. Here is how it played out for Miami.
Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, and for Dolphins fans, the conversation is already loud.
Pittsburgh delivered a record first-round crowd, Fernando Mendoza went No. 1 as expected, and Miami walked away with two players the new front office clearly believes can help reshape the roster.
This is not a full pick-by-pick league recap. This is the Dolphins view of Round 1: what happened at the top, what Miami did, and why fans are already split on the results.
The Top of the Board
No surprises at No. 1. Fernando Mendoza (QB, Indiana) went to the Las Vegas Raiders as expected. The Heisman winner and national champion was the easy call, and we had him there in our mock.
The first real curveball came at No. 3, where Arizona took Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame. Running back that high is always going to get attention, and it was an immediate reminder that real draft boards never follow the clean version people build in mock season.
And Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama) - our "fall candidate" - did not fall far enough. The Rams took him at No. 13. We flagged the risk. Lesson noted.
The Dolphins: Kadyn Proctor and Chris Johnson in Round 1
Miami came away with two first-round picks and a clear message from the new front office: this rebuild is going to start with substance, not flash.
Pick 12 - Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama
The Dolphins traded back one spot from No. 11, let Dallas take Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, and picked up extra Day 2 and Day 3 assets in the process. That is smart roster building. Then they took Proctor, a consensus All-American who allowed just two sacks across three seasons at Alabama.
If he becomes what Miami thinks he is, this is the kind of pick you look back on as the start of a real foundation.
Pick 27 - Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
Miami traded up from 30 to make sure they got their guy. Johnson was the co-Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year with six career interceptions, two returned for touchdowns. The Dolphins needed corners badly, and they went and got one.
It is not a glamorous Round 1. It is a practical one. For this roster, that might be exactly the point.
Miami Dolphins Fans React to Draft Picks
The complaints started immediately. Fans wanted Caleb Downs, the Ohio State safety who went one pick ahead of Miami after the trade back. And Rueben Bain Jr., the hometown edge rusher from the University of Miami, went to Tampa Bay at 15, which stings simply because of where he landed.
The "same old Dolphins, reaching instead of drafting ready players" takes were predictable.
Here is my honest take: I am fine with both picks. Miami needed offensive line help and got a consensus All-American tackle. Miami needed cornerback help and got a conference defensive player of the year. No one knows how any pick turns out on draft night - not the fans, not the analysts, and not even the teams with all the scouting data in the world.
Turning on a 21-year-old kid before he has taken an NFL snap is a bit much.
The new front office - GM Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley - will be judged on how these picks develop. That judgment belongs two or three years from now, not the morning after Round 1.
Let it play out.
Quick Round 1 Notes
- Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE, Miami) to Tampa Bay at 15 - yes, that one stings for Dolphins fans
- Spencer Fano (OT, Cleveland) went at No. 9 - the Browns got their tackle
- Pittsburgh drew a reported first-round crowd of about 320,000 with the shortened pick clock helping the night move
Rounds 2 and 3 are tonight. The Dolphins have picks in both, and with the extra Day 2 assets from the Proctor trade, Sullivan has more bullets to work with.
Round 1 gives fans opinions. The real verdict comes in the fall. Crystal Ball Picks is where you can track NFL games, make your picks all season, and see which teams - and which takes - actually hold up.
