The Miami Dolphins haven't done a bang-up job of supplying new quarterback Malik Willis with premier receiving talent. They had no choice but to cut Tyreek Hill after his gruesome leg injury, but new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan chose to trade Jaylen Waddle to Denver before drafting Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas as a hopeful future cornerstone.
Selecting Douglas with the 75th overall pick in the third round was merely the first of three draft assets Sullivan at the position. Chris Bell heard his name called in Round 3, too, but he's starting training camp on the PUP list. Miami also drafted slot specialist Kevin Coleman Jr. out of Mizzou in the fifth round.
Many are bullish on Bell's upside, and Coleman has low expectations since he's a Day 3 draftee who has a clear starting veteran in front of him in Malik Washington.
In Douglas' case, however, he's the draft class headliner for a dubious Dolphins skill position group outside of stud tailback De'Von Achane. Heading into training camp, there's more pressure on him than any rookie — and just about any player not named Willis on the rebuilding roster.
Miami Dolphins rookie Caleb Douglas needs to silence the national media 'reach' narrative
Sullivan had plenty of conviction in fading the consensus by drafting Caleb Douglas so high. Nevertheless, it's alarming for a long-suffering Dolphins fan when the 156th-ranked prospect on PFF's big board goes to your team at No. 75 overall.
Douglas was even lower on other draft boards. If memory serves, on the now-paywalled consensus big board, he was somewhere in the early 200s.
With so many wide receivers to choose from and a surplus of draft capital to work with, the broader conclusion amongst the draftnik community was that Sullivan squandered one of his premium assets on the second-team All-Big 12 selection.
In his defense, Douglas did have 114 receptions for 1,723 yards and 13 TDs over his last two years with the Red Raiders. That's not terrible production. Still, if he doesn't deliver in short order, or at least crack the rotation with the likes of Washington, Tutu Atwell, and Jalen Tolbert, the Miami faithful could turn on Douglas in a hurry.
Nothing thus far in the offseason program has indicated Douglas is some disaster waiting to happen, yet it's a whole different story when the pads go on at camp.
The troubling state of the Dolphins wide receiver room
New head coach Jeff Hafley and his staff have a Herculean task ahead to assemble a competitive football team in 2026. Beyond the sheer talent deficit, how will Hafley balance playing youngsters like Caleb Douglas with deploying the players who truly give the Dolphins the best chance to win?
In practical terms, for all intents and purposes, Miami has little to gain by starting Atwell or Tolbert. They're veteran stopgap wideouts on one-year contracts. Glorified placeholders until Douglas and (eventually) Bell are ready to step in. Or so it seems.
You can see the dilemma here, though. Will leaning too much on Atwell and Tolbert sabotage Douglas' development, which the scouting community concurred he needs a lot of?
This question only sparks further lines of inquiry. Such as: how much losing will 86-year-old Dolphins owner Stephen Ross tolerate? How little winning can Hafley and Sullivan justify to keep their jobs long enough to see their vision through?
Douglas' 6'3.5" frame and big catch radius should help him get into the mix, especially since Willis is known as a strong-armed, precise downfield passer. He played 16.9% of his snaps in the slot in 2025 as well, so there's at least a hint of inside-out versatility.
Between the Tolbert/Atwell usage conundrum and the fact that Washington has averaged only 7.5 yards per catch through two seasons, the opportunity is ripe for Douglas to shock the doubters and make a big rookie-year impact for the new-look Dolphins.
That's why Douglas feels like such a crucial player to monitor as training camp unfolds. To me, he's No. 1 on the watch list.
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