Why the Dolphins drafted a bunch of Texas, Texas Tech players
When Miami Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan strolled into the press conference April 24 wearing cowboy boots, he dismissed the idea that it had anything to do with the pair of Texas Tech teammates drafted on Day 2.
Then he proceeded to select a trio of Texas teammates on the following day.
he Dolphins really enjoyed the Longhorns and Red Raiders, so much so that the took five of the 13 players — roughly 38% — from those two schools.
“We let the board talk to us, and it’s the best-player-available approach,” Sullivan said. “Just again, it’s coincidence that we had a lot of guys from the state of Texas this year. They play good football in Texas, so I think that’s probably a good thing, but again, there was nothing that was intentional. It’s just the way that it kind of fell.”
Of the five players taken, none offers more promise than Texas Tech’s Jacob Rodriguez, whom the Dolphins selected in the second round. Rodriguez was not only the best linebacker in football during the 2025 season, finishing the year with 128 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, four interceptions and an FBS-high seven forced fumbles, but also cleaned up on the award circuit.
Then there’s the Red Raiders’ Caleb Douglas, a 6-foot-3 wide receiver who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds. Taken in the third round, the receiver offers a unique blend of size and speed. Douglas, for one, was ecstatic at the idea of a reunion with Rodriguez.
“Man, hey!” Douglas exclaimed after shrieking for a moment. “I told J-Rod ‘hey, I can’t wait to be teammates again.’”
On the Texas side, the Dolphins picked edge rusher Trey Moore (fourth round), safety Michael Taaffe (fifth round) and guard DJ Campbell (sixth round).
In Moore, the Dolphins get a player who has experience on the edge and as a stand-up linebacker.
“It excites me,” Hafley said of Moore’s versatility. “I think anytime you can draft a player who can do multiple things, it’s our job as coaches to have a vision for him and figure out where to play him or play him in multiple spots. What’s the down-and-distance? What’s he going to do on early downs? Is he going to be a stack backer on early downs? Is he going to be a sub rusher on second-and-7-plus, third down? Is he a guy that can line up as a spinner and pick guards and rush?”
In Taaffe, the Dolphins get a rare bland of skill, grit and determination that saw the safety go from walk-on to a two-time captain and All-American.
Taaffe “embodies everything that Coach Hafley and Jon-Eric want to build here with his makeup,” said Dolphins senior personnel executive Jon Robinson. “Former walk-on that has just busted his tail to earn everything that he’s been given. He’s going to embody the competitiveness, the toughness. Extremely football intelligent player.”
And in Campbell, the Dolphins get a former five-star recruit who excels in the run game.
“He’s a dawg, man,” Moore said of his teammate. “To me, he’s an O-lineman that can play D-tackle, like he’s that athletic, and he’s that freakish. I’ve seen him dunking and doing crazy things, he’s a freak athlete. He’s a great dude, great guy to be around. I’m excited to see what he does in the future as well.”
With the accumulation of players with Texas ties, hopefully that improves the Dolphins’ stock during the next few years. The Lonestar state has consistently completed with Florida for producing the most NFL talent. And, for the sake of the Dolphins, hopefully that statistic rings true.
