The Dolphins bolstered the defensive front with their first selection on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. In the fourth round, with the 130th overall pick, Miami selected Texas linebacker Trey Moore. Moore played two years at Texas following a sterling three-year career at UTSA.
1. AAC Defensive Player of the Year
Moore's final season at UTSA was a special one. He won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award with a 14-sack, 17.5-tackle-for-loss season. He added an interception, a forced fumble and recovery during the dominant campaign. The year prior, Moore racked up eight more sacks and 18 tackles for loss.
In five years of college football Moore produced 30.5 sacks, 50 tackles for loss, 175 tackles, five forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.
"He's aligned in different spots," Assistant General Manager Kyle Smith said. "He's played stack, he's played on the edge, transferred up to Texas; but he's been a pressure player his whole career that he's been in college ball. So, his versatility is playing multi-line, stack, edge and has the body and athleticism to play on both third downs and special teams."
2. Position diverse
The 2024 season was Moore's first at Texas. Despite the step up in competition, he kept producing. With 39 and 38 quarterback pressures in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Moore stayed on that trajectory with 36 pressures in his debut season with the Longhorns in 2024. He added 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss and matched his career high with two forced fumbles.
Then, in 2025, Moore's role changed. He had played just 69 snaps as an off-ball linebacker in his first four years of college football, then played 230 snaps at that position his final season at Texas. He became a multifaceted player the Longhorns would drop in coverage and deploy in their blitz scheme.
Assistant General Manager Kyle Smith spoke about the various roles Moore can play, and the input of Head Coach Jeff Hafley for how to best deploy the Dolphins' newest weapon along the defensive front.
"This is where the vision came in from the coaches and (Jeff) Hafley," Smith said. "How are we going to use these guys? Where are we going to align them? Once you get that vision and that clarity from them, it really paints a picture of, okay, we can pull this here. This is how we're going to use them. How are we going to get everybody on the field? And how are they going to affect the other side of the ball?"
Moore also contributed to the kicking game playing 280 career snaps on special teams.
3. Deep arsenal of moves
All that sack production was a product of Moore's experience and refinement of the craft. He played 2,340 snaps in his college career, adding more moves to his bag each year. He's just 6 feet 2 inches, but he uses that low pad level to get under offensive linemen, then unfurls his twitch and power to put them on their heels before angling back to the quarterback. He's an explosive hitter who embraces the contact aspect of the game.
For more on the Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft selections, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
