Miami Dolphins get physical with draft class: 'You need tough guys'

MIAMI GARDENS — From the beginning, it was a mantra. This weekend at the NFL Draft, it became reality. The new tandem of general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley arrived from Green Bay promising to make the Miami Dolphins a more physical, tough team.

Nothing in 2026 would afford them a better chance to put brute muscle behind that than the opportunity to make 13 picks — the second-most this franchise has had in 32 years. And when they began by choosing a player who stands 6-feet-7 and weighs 352 pounds, there could be no doubt that the era in which the Dolphins prioritized speed had come to a screeching halt. “Physicality is a big part of what we’re trying to accomplish and build here,” Sullivan said.

“Yeah,” Hafley said. “If there’s one thing I told him when he asked me my opinion on things, it’s one thing I was not going to back away from: I just believe this is a physical game and you need tough guys to play this game and guys who want to be physical. And I think if you look at this list and you watch how hard these guys play, I think it’s impressive.

“And what that says to me — and I’ve said this before — you can find out if a guy loves football based on how hard he plays. You can find out how much a guy loves his teammates based on how hard he plays. And when you look at this, I think we’ve got the right type of guys and I’m excited to work with them.