The Miami Dolphins made a trade with the Dallas Cowboys during the first day of the 2026 NFL Draft that saw Miami move back just one spot — picking up two additional fifth round picks in the process. Dallas would go on to take safety Caleb Downs from Ohio State while Miami nabbed offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor from Alabama.
But what if the Dolphins had stayed at pick #11 in the draft? Would the outcome have remained the same?
According to new Dolphins head coach, Jeff Hafley, the answer is yes.
Speaking
with former NFL defensive back Richard Sherman on the aptly named The Richard Sherman Podcast, Hafley praised general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan for landing their preferred target in Proctor while adding two more draft picks as well.’
“When [Kadyn Proctor] was still available for us to pick [at #12], because we moved back and got two extra picks — and he was going to be the guy we picked at #11, but we got him at #12 with two extra picks on top of it, which I thought was an awesome job by Jon-Eric — with his size and his potential and how young he is, he’s a guy we could be looking at down the road and people are going to say, ‘Wow, how’d that guy get drafted at #12 at a premium position with how young he is, how big he is and how talented he is?’ That one, I think people might look back on in a few years and try to figure out what made him fall too.”
Time will tell if passing on Downs and the Miami Hurricanes standout EDGE rusher, Rueben Bain Jr., was the right decision, but as of right now, both Sullivan and Hafley seem incredibly excited about Proctor’s potential to be a game-changer for the Dolphins for many years to come.
For Sherman’s entire interview with Dolphins coach Jeff Hafley, watch the video below.
