As the newly appointed head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Jeff Hafley continues to shape his role with the team, and his influence is starting to show where it matters most: the draft room.
Behind every pick lies a philosophy, and Hafley is finally opening up about his. What exactly catches his eye in a prospect, and how much say does he truly have? His insights offer a revealing look into how Miami is quietly building its future.
Jeff Hafley Opens Up on Dolphins Draft Strategy and Talent Evaluation
Hafley was at a press conference on Tuesday. When the reporter asked, “Speaking of evaluating draft players, I’m assuming you and General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan spent a lot of the past year evaluating guys who fit the Green Bay Packers, but how does that process change when you change teams?
Do you take guys who you’ve already scouted on your board? Are you starting over? What is that process like now?” Hafley opened up about everything related to the 2026 NFL Draft and roster changes.
“I mean, I think there’s X-amount of players, and I think you scout those players,” Hafley said. “As far as fitting into what we did at one place or the other, I think you take the best players. The best players, the toughest players, the guys with the highest character, I think those are all the things that aren’t going to change.
“We want guys that love football. We want guys who play football the right way and we want to draft really good players, too. We’ve got a lot of picks, so we’ll see.”
As head coach, are you more involved in the draft process and scouting, or are all your responsibilities keeping you from being as involved as you’d like? He replied, saying, “You’re more involved because, for example, when I was a defensive coordinator, I only watched the defense.”
There’s a lot of work to be done on both sides of the field. The Dolphins’ offense finished 19th in PFSN’s NFL Offense Impact last season. As for the defense, it was one of the worst in the league, finishing at 27th.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
Hafley explained that his role has expanded significantly, noting that he is now evaluating both defensive and offensive prospects, which naturally makes him far more involved in the draft process. Having watched most of the players entering the draft, he emphasized that the broader scope has deepened his input.
He also shared that he and the staff are in constant communication, with much more back-and-forth than when he was solely focused on coordinating the defense. Overall, he expressed optimism, calling this draft class strong and saying he is genuinely excited about the group.
