Dolphins draft Michael Taaffe, Seydou Traore
- The Miami Dolphins used two fifth-round picks Saturday on Texas safety Michael Taaffe at No. 158 and Mississippi State tight end Seydou Traore at No. 180, both acquired through Day 3 trades. - Taaffe arrived as a walk-on-turned-scholarship starter with seven career interceptions at Texas, while Traore brought 35 catches, 369 yards and five touchdowns from Mississippi State’s 2025 season. - The two picks capped a 13-player Miami draft class, the franchise’s second-largest since the seven-round format began in 1994. (miamidolphins.com)
Miami used two fifth-round picks on Saturday to add safety Michael Taaffe and tight end Seydou Traore to its 2026 draft class. (miamidolphins.com) (nfl.com) The Dolphins took Taaffe at No. 158 overall after a trade with the Carolina Panthers, sending picks No. 151 and No. 227 to Carolina for No. 158 and No. 200. (miamidolphins.com 1) (miamidolphins.com 2) They took Traore at No. 180 overall in another traded slot, this one acquired from the Dallas Cowboys. Miami’s official draft coverage listed Traore as a Mississippi State tight end. (miamidolphins.com) (nfl.com) Taaffe’s path was unusual for a Day 3 pick. NFL.com says he redshirted at Texas in 2021 as a walk-on, earned a scholarship before the 2022 Alamo Bowl, and finished his career with 53 games and 36 starts. (nfl.com) (texaslonghorns.com) His production gives Miami a clearer picture of the role it drafted. NFL.com credited Taaffe with 222 tackles and seven interceptions in college, and graded him as an “average backup or special-teamer.” (nfl.com) Traore arrives with more receiving production than most late-round tight ends. ESPN lists him at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, and credits him with 35 catches for 369 yards and five touchdowns for Mississippi State in 2025. (espn.com) (hailstate.com) His route to the National Football League also ran through multiple stops. Mississippi State’s roster bio lists Traore’s last school as Arkansas State, and the school has highlighted his move from London, England, into American college football. (hailstate.com 1) (hailstate.com 2) The two selections fit a broader Miami reset under first-year head coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan. NFL.com’s team draft tracker said Miami entered the weekend with needs at wide receiver, cornerback, edge, offensive line and safety after a 7-10 season. (nfl.com) (pro-football-reference.com) By the end of Saturday, the Dolphins had made 13 picks, tied for their most since 1994 and second only to the 14-player class in 1997. The team said three of those selections came from Texas, its most from one school in a single draft since taking three Florida players in 2013. (miamidolphins.com) For Taaffe and Traore, that leaves a simple next step: crack a roster that spent all weekend adding numbers, depth and special-teams options. (miamidolphins.com) (nfl.com)
