2021 Dolphins Draft Profile: Is Jaylen Waddle an option at 18? – Draft

As I said in an earlier piece on DeVonta Smith, Miami has a bit of a wide receiver problem, that needs to be addressed in the offseason, hopefully in the draft.

DeVante Parker has shown to be a good, not great, receiver who could benefit from a running mate that could stretch the field. The Dolphins do have guys like Jakeem Grant and Preston Williams on the roster, but they either are not consistent enough or can’t stay healthy long enough to make a big impact offensively.

If Miami passes on DeVonta Smith at 3rd overall, Miami may l be able to get his running mate later in the first round.

Jaylen Waddle, Wide Reciever, Alabama

2020 season stats: 28 receptions, 591 yards, 4 touchdowns (stats courtesy of ESPN.com)

Chances of Dolphins taking him: 45%

If DeVante Parker enters the 2021 season as the number 1 receiver on this team, then Jaylen Waddle will prove to be a perfect pairing for him. Miami struggled to stretch the field with the receiving corp that they had on the roster and Waddle can be an immediate fix to that problem.

Waddle has game-breaking speed and agility that makes him incredibly dangerous in the passing game. He has reliable hands and plays bigger than his size. He is both a deep threat and a great route runner that is exactly what this team is missing with the roster as it is now.

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As much as I love DeVonta Smith in this draft, Miami may be better suited to take Jaylen Waddle later on in the first round because his skill set is a better compliment to Parker’s. He could help take some of the pressure off of Parker and slot into the number one role, pushing Parker to the second option. If Miami looks to pass on Smith for Micah Parsons or Penei Sewell, Miami could target Waddle later in the first round.

Miami’s biggest issue with taking Waddle is that he may not be there at 18 overall. There are a number of other teams that may be looking to add Waddle to their team. Because of this Miami would potentially have to move up, something I’m not a fan of, or gamble that he will slide to 18, which isn’t totally out of the question, depending on how the top quarterbacks end up going.

Regardless of how Miami would eventually pick the talented receiver out of Alabama, he will be a welcome addition to a receiving room that struggled last season and a valuable weapon for Tua Tagovalioa.