Wide Receiver Draft Options for Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins might have a bigger need at wide receiver that they’ll need to address in the 2025 NFL draft.

Wide receiver Tyreek Hill was involved in another off-the-field incident on Wednesday, marking another chapter in what’s been a turbulent offseason for the Dolphins receiver. Whether the Dolphins cut or trade Hill this offseason, he’s not expected to be on the team next year, as his contract has zero guaranteed salary in 2026.

The arguments for getting rid of Hill now go beyond his off-field problems (which are a good enough reason on their own), as the team could build a more diverse offense without him in the picture.

Let’s look at some potential high-value wide receiver targets in the upcoming NFL draft who could be a fit for the Dolphins.

First-Round Receivers For Dolphins

Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

Of all the receivers on this list, McMillan aligns the least with the type of pass catchers the Dolphins have rostered under Coach Mike McDaniel. However, that’s probably a good thing.

McMillan would give the Dolphins a big-body, contested-catch target at all three areas of the field. The Arizona product caught 60 percent of his contest targets last season and 18 total, the seventh-most in the country.

His 6-foot-5, 212-pound frame allows him to win good body positioning, and he’s got excellent body control to make difficult catches outside of his frame. The Dolphins don’t have a player like McMillan on the roster, and they could really use one.

He’s not just a contested-catch winner, though. McMillan improved drastically as a route runner this past season, showing the attention to detail and separation ability against press coverage that was missing from his 2023 tape.

He can win with quickness out of breaks and understands how to attack cornerbacks off the line to create instant space. He’s also surprisingly effective after the catch, as he forced 29 missed tackles last season, the third most in the nation.

McMillan isn’t a vertical burner, and he won’t win like Hill and Waddle. That could push the Dolphins off of him, but again, making the offense more diverse would be a huge benefit for Miami.

Good defenses could no longer just hunt the middle of the field and use safeties to cap deep routes without fearing anything else.

McMillan probably won’t be on the board when Miami picks, but it would be hard to argue with his talent warranting a top-15 selection if he is.

Matthew Golden, Texas

Golden is this year’s breakout receiver. He had almost zero hype coming into the season, but he turned a tremendous season at Texas and pre-draft process into first-round hype.

The Texas product projects as a much cleaner fit for the Dolphins offense for a few reasons. For starters, the Texas offense uses many of the same concepts as the Dolphins offense, so Golden has experience running many of the same routes Miami likes.

Additionally, Golden checks Miami’s all-important speed box. He ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, which shocked many analysts.

Golden doesn’t look quite that fast on tape, but he’s clearly got enough speed to get into his routes with haste and win down the field.

Golden’s real value comes from his route running. He’s incredibly detailed and nuanced with how he wins down the field. He understands how to attack cornerback’s blindspots and is super smooth getting in and out of his breaks.

He also has an impressive catch radius for a player who measured in at 5-11, 191 pounds with just 30-inch arms. Golden made several impressive body-control catches throughout last season and was forced to make a lot of contested catches because of poor throws from quarterback Quinn Ewers.

Golden’s already taken an introductory class in the Dolphins offense and has the speed the team covets, making him probably the best fit on this list.

Luther Burden, Missouri

We covered why we didn’t think Burden would be a good pick for the Dolphins earlier this offseason, and little has changed since then. Of the players on this list, Burden would be our least favorite option for the Dolphins.

That said, he’s a talented player with a skill set that should make him a productive NFL receiver. Burden is the best YAC receiver in this class. He’s got above-average speed, acceleration, and contact balance with the ball in his hands.

He basically turns into a running back in the open field, making it incredibly difficult for defensive backs to drag him down. Burden’s 30 forced missed tackles were the most in college football last season.

Burden’s speed and creativity with the ball in his hands would likely appeal to the Dolphins, but he is an incredibly limited player. The Missouri offense bears some responsibility for that, but Burden is not a detailed or diverse route runner.

He relied on easy, short-area routes and manufactured touches for most of his production this past season. Even with Hill off the roster in this scenario, the Dolphins have plenty of good manufactured touch options.

Sure, Burden might be better than some of them, but not enough to justify a top-15 pick.

Ultimately, Burden is talented enough to go that high, and he’d likely be a productive player in Miami, but the Dolphins have plenty of players with his skill set and need to add someone who provides something different.

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

Egbuka seems to be the forgotten prospect in this receiver class. He doesn’t get anywhere near as much hype as the players listed above him on this list, even though you could argue his film is the second-best of the bunch.

He was a three-year starter at Ohio State, where he produced 196 catches for 2,676 yards and 24 touchdowns. Egbuka was so productive because he doesn’t have many glaring weaknesses in his game.

He’s one of the most polished, experienced route runners in the class at all three areas of the field. He knows how to separate out of breaks, at the line of scrimmage, and downfield against all types of defensive backs.

Some analysts knocked Egbuka for lacking elite long speed, but he ran a 4.50 40-yard dash at the NFL combine and looks plenty fast on tape.

Egbuka’s receiving profile is great, but he’s also an excellent and versatile blocker. He can make “crack” blocks from the slot, be a lead blocker on screens, and be the motion player on split-flow action.

The Dolphins signed Nick Westbrook-Ikhine to fill that role this season, but adding Egbuka would just give the team more options to disguise what it's doing to opposing defenses.

We are in the minority in believing Egbuka’s talent is worthy of a top-15 selection, as most mock drafts have him going late in the first round.

For the Dolphins, Egbuka would allow them to diversify the offense, but maintain a potent speed threat to pair with Waddle. A top three group of receivers, including Waddle, Westbrook-Ikhine, and Egbuka, would be one of the more versatile groups in the league.

More Miami Dolphins Coverage: