Many throughout the NFL have made the argument that the Miami Dolphins have the best wide receiver room in the league. Headlined by a pair of All-Pro receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, it is nearly impossible to say otherwise.
The receiver room in Miami last season garnered 3,620 yards out of the Dolphins 4,698 receiving yards. The nucleus of this number can be found between Waddle and Hill. Both receivers produced more than 1,000 receiving yards each in 2023 — Hill finished 201 yards short of 2,000. With so much strength in an already proven position, it will be an uphill battle to fight for a spot on the roster for new receivers. Especially rookies.
Miami Rookie Receivers Await Tight Competition in Training Camp
The Three Rookies and the Room
Miami Dolphins 2024 Draft sixth-round selection Malik Washington, seventh-round selection Tahj Washington and unsigned rookie free agent Je’Quan Burton have all signed deals. Each one will be tied to Miami through 2027. However, this doesn’t guarantee a spot on the Dolphins’ regular-season roster.
Miami will go into training camp with wide receiver returnees Hill, Waddle, Braxton Berrios, and River Cracraft. Odell Beckham Jr., the Dolphins’ newest acquisition from free agency, signed a one-year, $3 million deal to join Miami for the 2024 season. These five are expected to make the 53-man roster.
The five veteran receivers could be enough to man the receiver room in Miami. It is still unknown if the Dolphins and head coach Mike McDaniels seek to expand the receiver room beyond these five. Despite this, the three rookie receivers have undeniable skills that match the pass-heavy coaching style of McDaniels.
Malik Can Be the Perfect Slot Receiver for Miami
Malik began his collegiate career at Northwestern where he gradually progressed as a known route runner in the Big Ten. The slot receiver’s numbers blew up in his junior year with the Wildcats. Malik, who averaged around five receptions annually, caught 109 passes and collected 1,272 receiving yards through his junior and senior years.
After a four-year stint at Northwestern, Malik chose to transfer to Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference. He became one of the most explosive players in college football with the Cavaliers. Malik led the nation with a single-season program record of 110 receptions, became the fastest UVA receiver to breach 1,000 receiving yards, and averaged a single-season ACC record of 9.17 receptions per game. The fifth-year senior at Virginia tallied nine touchdowns and 1,426 receiving yards — the most in the ACC.
Malik played 90% of his snaps with UVA in the slot. The 5-foot-9-inch receiver has a similar frame to a running back, which allows him to create opportunities after the catch by blowing by opponents. Malik’s frame, however, doesn’t mean he can’t take over in one-on-one competition. He is described to have ‘premium catch focus’ and has an immense feel for ball position, according to NFL Network.
These traits are the perfect fit for a quarterback that is forced to scramble — which is a need for the Dolphins. Malik didn’t run any unique routes and stayed to the basics with slants and wheel routes in college. He would need to adapt to more routes while in camp.
Tahj’s Best Bet Is in Special Teams, Not Running Routes
The University of Southern California was a heavy-pass offensive team with 2024 NFL Draft No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams at quarterback. One of the Heisman winners’ most effective weapons in 2023 was Tahj. The Marshall, Texas, native led USC with 59 receptions, and 1,062 receiving yards and was an honorable mention for the last-ever All-Pac-12 team.
Tahj throughout his five-year collegiate career with both USC and Memphis (2019-2020) showcased his fierce drive for the ball and the ability to be an above-average route runner in the slot. With Miami, he faces a situation where the position that he dominated in college will be already occupied. Hill and Waddle live there for the Dolphins, and Tahj doesn’t have enough to prove through rookie minicamp that he’ll take reps away from the duo as a potential third string.
His chances as a vertical route runner for Miami are almost zero. Tahj didn’t show much explosiveness off the line and isn’t known to create space when in isolation with defenders. It is also reported that he could struggle against big coverages downfield.
In reality, the best chance for the 5-foot-10-inch receiver to make the team’s roster is in special teams. In his redshirt freshman year at Memphis, Tahj ran back kicks. The dual offensive threat continued to return kicks throughout his sophomore and junior years with the Trojans. In total, Tahj had returned 438 yards in his collegiate career.
He didn’t return any kicks in 2023 due to him becoming the first-string wide receiver at USC under head coach Lincoln. Lincoln’s high-flying play-calling style on offense is similar to what McDaniels has run through two years in Miami. This is another advantage for Tahj, but special teams still appear to be ideal in his case.
A Pure Athlete in Burton Like Bound for Practice Squad
Like most undrafted free agents, the odds are against Burton to make the squad past preseason. The speedy wide receiver was a lightning bolt on routes at Florida Atlantic. Burton’s explosive hips while route running and quickness make him a nightmare to stick with for cornerbacks.
The major downside for Burton is that these strengths weren’t reflected in his numbers while at FAU. Let alone, it also doesn’t change the fact that he gets too upright in his routes, and lacks hand strength and toughness for contested catches. At 187 pounds, he’ll need to add weight to be considered for blocking assignments on special teams.
Burton is a practice squad guy on this current roster. Similar to Malik and Tahj, his best hope to make a good impression will be in training camp, which starts July 28, or during the preseason. The Dolphins open the preseason at Hard Rock Stadium against the Atlanta Falcons on August 9.
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