Miami Dolphins DeVante Parker A Big Need

Everyone can agree that the Miami Dolphins had multiple needs they could have filled in the first round of the NFL Draft. Some people thought the Dolphins should have nabbed a guard or running back while others felt they should have paid more attention to the defense at linebacker or corner. Regardless of what people thought, Devante Parker was the best pick the Dolphins could have made. Sure, Todd Gurley would have instantly given the Dolphins one heck of a back field but with Lamar Miller reaching 1,000 yards I didn’t hink Gurley’s knee was worth the risk. While Parker did miss seven games with an injury himself, he showed that he wasn’t slowed down at all by ripping off 855 yards in the final six games. Parker wasn’t just the safer choice, though, he is exactly what the Dolphins need.

To help explain why Parker is what the Dolphins need we must look back to the Mike Wallace experiment. When Mike Wallace was signed in 2013 everyone thought he was the deep threat the Dolphins needed to finally get to the playoffs. Wallace had the speed to take the tops off defenses leaving the rest of the field open for everyone else to eat. After three years, though, Wallace didn’t make that big of a difference. While his speed did take the tops off defenses he just couldn’t do much else. He wasn’t bad by any means but not the superstar and game changer people thought he would be for the Dolphins. Two reasons for this were drops and him not fighting for the ball. There were multiple times Wallace dropped important passes and other times where he’d just let the defender or gravity rake over the ball. Many receivers have this problem and that’s why they aren’t number one options. Mix those issues with his sky high salary and his attitude and it’s easy to see why he is now in Minnesota.

Enter Devante Parker. The first thing that jumps off the board about Parker is his character. If you search for “Devante Parker character issues” you won’t find anything. That’s exactly the kind of player the Dolphins want and need. After everything with Richie Incognito and now Dion Jordan the Dolphins needed to pick up somebody they didn’t need to worry about becoming a knucklehead. On top of being what seems like a model citizen, Parker has the size, speed, and skill set to easily be the Dolphins number one wideout. At 6’3″ and with a wingspan of 33 1/4″ he is easily a threat anywhere on the field. He possesses the size necessary to go up and snag balls over defenders and keep the chains moving. He also happened to run a 4.45 second 40 yard dash which means he is also a deep threat. The icing on the cake, though, is that the NFL’S draft profile of Parker says he has only been credited with three drops since 2012. 

With Parker leading the new wide receiving corps bright times loom ahead. Greg Jennings and Jarvis Landry both give Tannehill reliable hands in the short to mid game while Kenny Stills has the speed to kill. Those three alone make a pretty decent trio but adding Parker just makes things pop. He can be used in the deep game with Stills or he can be used over the middle. The biggest area he will make a difference in, though, is the redzone. This offense has been lacking a big bodied redzone target that can go up and get the ball and also control the play. After signing Jordan Cameron and drafting Parker the Dolphins now have two redzone targets they can use to terrorize defenses.

Devante Parker’s size, speed, hands, and usefulness makes him a homerun. It’s up to the coaching staff to use him correctly and game plan well enough so the Dolphins are always in the game. If they can do their part then I think the Dolphins will finally break into the playoffs.

What do you guys think? Think he’s all that and a bag of chips or should the Dolphins have drafted someone else?