The Dolphins Need To Draft a Receiver Early

The Dolphins Need To Draft a Receiver Early

The release of Tyreek Hill and the trade of Jaylen Waddle have left the Dolphins in a bad spot at the wide receiver position. Arguments can be made that these moves were for the best. Hill is an aging player coming off a major injury with plenty of baggage.

While Waddle is in his prime, and as such, trading him now just makes sense in terms of getting the most in return. However, even if logically these moves track, it doesn’t change the fact that Miami is severely lacking in the receiving department. 

At the time of writing, their number one receiver looks to be Malik Washington. Washington showed promise last season as the number 3, then number 2 option. He tallied 46 receptions for 317 yards and 3 touchdowns. I believe that Washington can have a solid career, but it’s unlikely that he would evolve into a true number 1 option. 

Miami also added TuTu Atwell from the Los Angeles Rams in free agency. Atwell has shown flashes of greatness in his 4-year career with a stat line of 42 receptions for 562 yards in 2024. However, 2025 saw him struggle to stay on the field, and his numbers dropped to 6 receptions for 192 yards and 1 touchdown.

Like Washington, Atwell can potentially provide the Dolphins with solid play, but as a supporting character to a true number 1. 

So that brings us to the draft, Miami’s final chance this offseason to shore up the receiving corps. Ian Rapoport has reported that the Dolphins have brought in Makai Lemon out of USC for a visit ahead of the draft.

Lemon is coming off a breakout season where he notched 79 receptions for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns. NFL.com has a write-up on him as a prospect, which can give you an idea of the type of player he is. 

“High-skill, high-volume slot receiver with average size but extraordinary ball skills. Lemon has room for refinement, but not much. He’s intelligent, confident, and polished with the ability to make plays on all three levels. Tempo-driven route-runner who misdirects man coverage and separates out of turns, but is fairly average after the catch. Quicker than fast, featuring early acceleration to open seam throws but flashes late burst when needed.

More play strength is needed for the NFL press, and he needs to avoid rushing through multi-breaking routes. He’s an exceptional ball-tracker with excellent catch timing and few focus drops. He wins more combat catches than he loses. Lemon is a plug-and-play, quarterback-friendly talent with first-round value and Pro Bowl upside.”

If I had my choice, Lemon would be the receiver Miami drafts, provided Ohio State’s Carnell Tate goes as early as he is being projected.

However, some experts have Miami drafting another receiver with the 11th pick. Mel Kiper has speculated that the Dolphins could select Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson.

Tyson is coming off a season that saw him catch 61 passes for 711 yards and 8 touchdowns. There’s no question that he can play, but can he stay healthy? 

In 2022, he suffered a catastrophic knee injury, tearing his ACL, MCL, and PCL. In 2024, he fractured his collarbone. Then, in 2025, he fought through a hamstring injury, causing him to miss 4 games. When he’s healthy, he’s a legit number 1 guy.

However, Miami just went through an era in which they trusted often-injured players to be healthy, and it blew up in their faces. I would appreciate it if the new regime stayed away from players with injury concerns. 

Again, if I decide between Lemon and Tyson, I would go with Lemon due to the injury concerns. So what do you think? Do you agree that Lemon would be a better choice? Or do you think Miami should wait until later in the draft to select a receiver? Let me know in the comments.