Dolphins select Texas safety Michael Taaffe in fifth round of 2026 NFL Draft

The Miami Dolphins picked Texas safety Michael Taaffe with the 158th pick of the 2026 NFL Draft.

This comes after the Dolphins traded the 151st and 227th pick to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for Nos. 158 and 200.

Taaffe, 23, was the Dolphins’ first of three selections — No. 158, 177 and 180 — in the fifth round.

A former walk-on, Taaffe worked his way up to a starter and captain over the past two seasons. He has racked up four interceptions, 11 pass deflections and 6.5 tackles for loss since 2024.

“He really just fits what we want to do,” said Dolphins senior personnel executive Jon Robinson. “He can do a lot of different things from playing on the back end to playing down in the short zone. They blitzed him sometimes.”

Despite his success over the last two seasons, Taaffe remains a bit undersized at 5 foot 11 and 7/8 inches, 190 pounds.

This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 2:56 PM.

C. Isaiah Smalls II

Miami Herald

302-373-8866

C. Isaiah Smalls II is a sports and culture writer who covers the Miami Dolphins. In his previous capacity at the Miami Herald, he was the race and culture reporter who created The 44 Percent, a newsletter dedicated to the Black men who voted to incorporate the city of Miami. A graduate of both Morehouse College and Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, Smalls previously worked for ESPN’s Andscape.