Jacob Rodriguez reminds a lot of people of Zach Thomas, so all was right with the world when the Dolphins drafted him in the second round.
The Texas Tech linebacker heard his name called with the 43rd overall pick.
Rodriguez won the Butkus Award, the Bednarik Award, the Nagurski Award and the Lombardi Award last season. He was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and a unanimous All-American.
He finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting.
Like Thomas, size prevented Rodriguez from being a first-round pick. Rodriguez measures 6 foot 1 and weighs 233 pounds. Thomas was 5 foot 11 and 228 pounds but had a Hall of Fame career with the Dolphins.
New Dolphins General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan made his first draft trade before he made his first draft pick.
The Dolphins took former Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor with the 12th overall pick of the draft on Thursday night.
Miami made the selection after trading down one spot in a swap with the Cowboys. They picked up the 177th and 180th picks, so they now have 12 more picks at their disposal.
One of those picks is the No. 30 selection they got from Denver for wide receiver Jaylen Waddle and all of those picks give them ample ammunition to make a move up the board if there’s a player they covet later in the round.
Proctor started at left tackle for the Crimson Tide for the last three seasons and was a second-team All-American in 2025. There’s been some thought that he could wind up at guard in the NFL and the Dolphins currently have Patrick Paul and Austin Jackson returning at the tackle spots.
The Ohio State University is dominating The 2026 NFL draft.
Four Buckeyes have gone off the board in the first eleven pick.
The Cowboys completed the quartet by taking safety Caleb Downs at No. 11 overall. Dallas traded up from No. 12 in a move with the Miami Dolphins. The Cowboys gave up two fifth-round picks to execute the flip-flop — picks No. 177 and No. 180.
That’s huge for the Dolphins, since they need as much young and cheap talent as they can get, given that they’re carrying $99.2 million in dead money over the next two years due to the failed Tua Tagovailoa contract.
For Dallas, it’s an effort to improve a defense that was not nearly good enough in 2025. Downs should make a huge difference.
Malik Washington is heading into his third NFL season, but he’s already become the dean of the wide receiver room in Miami.
Washington is the only returning receiver who played a significant role for the Dolphins in 2025 as Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Cedrick Wilson are all off the roster this spring. The Dolphins signed Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert to give them a little more experience, but the consensus view of the group is a dim one.
On Tuesday, Washington told reporters that the outside view is not taking into account the desire he and other wideouts have “to showcase what they can do” in 2026.
“Each guy in that room knows there’s a little bit of a chip on their shoulder,” Washington said, via Joe Schad of the Palm Beach Post. “We all want to be the guy. We all wanted to bring in the targets and, you know, play well on Sundays.”
The Dolphins will likely add to their options before the draft is over on Saturday, but it seems less likely that the expectations for the passing game are going to change significantly. That doesn’t seem to bother Washington as he looks forward to his chance to seize a bigger profile this fall.
It’s just a matter of time before the NFL draft produces its own Thornton Melon.
The implosion of the various antitrust violations masquerading as NCAA rules has made it easier than ever for players with remaining eligibility to return to college. Last year, the NCAA gave James Nnaji four years of eligibility even though he’d been selected in the first round of the NBA draft.
At some point, a drafted NFL player will make the business decision to go back to school.
Unless and until the fat cats get the federal government to throw them an undeserved lifeline, college players will enjoy maximum earning potential and mobility. The current climate creates an opportunity for a drafted player with options at the college level to choose to return to a level of football that is just as professional as the NFL.
Last year, as Shedeur Sanders plummeted through Day 2 of the draft, we explained that — at some point — it made sense for him to tap out of the process and return to Colorado (or another program). It became one of the most-read articles in the 24-year history of the platform.
There was also a question as to whether Quinn Ewers would do the same thing, once he fell to round seven.
In the end, neither tried. But that was before it became even more clear that a viable path exists.
This year, the player to watch is quarterback Ty Simpson. He recently said he could have made $6.5 million for another year of college football. That’s roughly equal to the average annual pay for the sixth overall pick in the draft.
Simpson is regarded as a possible first-round pick. If he isn’t taken in round one, he has 18 hours to consider his situation. And while most college programs have already lined up their players for 2026, someone will surely want him if he decides to go back. And while $6.5 million would be hard to get back on the table, Simpson could get a lot more than he’d receive as a second-round pick. (Last year, the contract signed by the first player taken in round two averaged $2.1 million per year.)
The key for Simpson would be to make a clear and loud declaration that he’s exiting the draft process. If he’s drafted and returns to school, that team will continue to hold his rights in the spot where he was picked, once he comes to the NFL. If he’s going to tap out, he needs to do so in a way that prompts no one to draft him.
The problem is that, the longer he lingers, the more attractive it will become financially to squat on his rights and hold them for 2027.
Regardless, a Triple Lindy into the college football pool remains possible. It was for Sanders and Ewers. It is for Simpson. And it will continue to be one for any player who slides farther in the draft than he expected.
