Chris Perkins: Will 'draft and develop' strategy finally pay off for Dolphins?

Chris Perkins, South Florida Sun-Sentinel on Mar 20, 2026

Published in Football

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For the Miami Dolphins, the 2026 season belongs to the scouts, coaches and front office.

Draft and develop. That’s the mantra under general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.

Yes, it’s a player’s league. It’ll always be a player’s league. Players make plays, not GMs or coaches.

But for the 2026 Miami Dolphins, this is one of those rare NFL seasons in which scouts, coaches and front office will be more important than the players, including new quarterback Malik Willis, the on-field face of the rebuild.

Miami must hit on the draft. Miami must develop its players.

This is the lifeblood of the rebuild.

Look at three teams — Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia — and their “draft and develop” results between 2020-23.

The Dolphins have two draftees on their 2026 roster among those 26 draft picks — running back De’Von Achane (third round, 2023) and edge rusher Cameron Goode (seventh round, 2022). None of the 10 first- or second-round picks from the 2020-23 drafts remain.

Detroit, which advanced to the 2023 NFC Championship, is fueled by draftees such as right tackle Penei Sewell (2021, first round), wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown (2021, fourth round) and Jameson Williams (2022, first round), edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson (2022, first round), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (2023, first round), linebacker Jack Campbell (2023, first round) and tight end Sam LaPorta (2023, second round).

Philadelphia, which won a Super Bowl two years ago, is led by draftees such as quarterback Jalen Hurts (2020, second round), wide receiver DeVonta Smith (2021, first round), center Landon Dickerson (2021, second round), defensive tackle Jordan Davis (2022, first round) and defensive end Jalen Carter (2023, first round).

The Lions and Eagles got foundation-building players who led them deep into the playoffs, and in Philly’s case, helped win a Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Dolphins floundered.

In the next three drafts (2026-28), Miami has 13 foundation-building draft picks — first- through third-round selections. If the Dolphins “hit” on half of those (generally speaking, those draftees are reliable starters for three or four years), the rebuild is off to a great start.

The draft, especially the top of the draft, the first through third rounds, is where the front office and scouts must prove their biggest value to the rebuild. In general, these are the most talented guys in the league. You’ve got to select the right guys physically and mentally. They’ve got to fit your system on and off the field.

After that, coaches must mold these guys, and that’s just as crucial.

The Dolphins’ new regime has soundly rebuked almost everything about the previous regime from the front office to the scouts to the coaching staff to the players. Almost everyone from the previous few seasons is gone. It’s a top-to-bottom cleansing.

Now, the new regime must succeed at its draft-and-develop plan.

Granted, the rebuild won’t be totally “draft and develop.”

For example, perhaps one of this year’s four third-round picks could/should be traded for a veteran starting edge rusher or cornerback or right guard or wide receiver.

But draft and develop is the big thing here.

And that means for the 2026 season, which is the first step of the rebuild, the front office, scouts and coaches are the key figures.

It’s crucial that the Dolphins develop a large number of their draftees into legit contributors. And, in a few cases, especially the top draftees, the Dolphins must develop some Pro Bowl players.

So, if you want a hero for the Miami Dolphins in 2026, look more to Sullivan or coach Jeff Hafley than Willis.

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