The Miami Dolphins’ top 20 Players of the 2021-2022 season
By Nick Belotto
#1 Jaylen Waddle
2021 stats: 104 catches, 1015 yards, 6 RecTD, 1 RuTD
When the Dolphins traded to get the number 6th spot in the draft, many people knew they were targeting some sort of offensive weapon. Most people were leaning towards DeVonta Smith so when the Dolphins took Waddle over Smith, there were definitely a few proverbial scratches of the head.
Yet, Waddle delivered and proved time and again to be the best weapon on this offense. He became the guy opposing defenses needed to game-plan against early on and still went on to break records as a rookie.
There is no doubt that Waddle started the season with a bit of rust, dropping a few passes and not being able to reel in passes that should have been simple for players of his caliber. As he got comfortable, however, we all started to see his incredible talent and just how dangerous he can be when the offense knows what it is doing as a unit.
He broke Anquan Boldin’s record for catches in a rookie season and set new marks for Dolphin rookie receivers as well. And, to those that argue that he did it in a 17 game season, it’s important to remember that he missed a game because of Covid.
The sky is the limit for Waddle who should only be better once this team retools this offensive line and Tua can start throwing to him deep and over the middle, where they can use his speed to gash opposing defenses. The new head coach will need to figure out how to maximize this duo’s potential so the team can finally make it back to the playoffs.