Now that’s the thrilling offseason is winding down for the Miami Dolphins, we are getting an idea of who will and who won’t be playing for the Dolphins. While the Dolphins added many new and talented players, at almost every position, they paid the least amount of attention to their wide receiver group. This is a clear signal that they are confident in this current crew. So, after pouring over the tape here is a deep dive into the Dolphins receivers, and here are my thoughts and observations on some of the players at this position.

Devante Parker

After many years of hoping for a breakout season, Dolphins fans finally got to see his full potential last year. In last year’s breakout campaign DVP had 72 catches, 1,202 yards, and 9 touchdowns, which are all career highs by a mile, and it got him a 4-year 40-million-dollar extension earlier this offseason. When looking at the tape it’s clear that DVP was just moving differently this year; he looked bigger, faster, and stronger than everyone else. Devante has qualities that you look for in a true number one receiver and they finally showed up on the tape. One of them is his footwork, DVP has extremely quick feet and a rapid first step, which makes it hard for defensive backs to attack him. A lot of times in man coverage, the corner will press upon a receiver to try and attack him early to disrupt him. DVP’s quick feet and first step make it nearly impossible for corners to try and disrupt him, as DVP just slips right past them. This also contributes to Devante being an excellent route runner, and while DVP is mostly viewed as a deep threat, Devante runs a slant as good as anyone in the NFL. Another elite trait Devante has is his timing. While DVP is an absolute athletic freak, it takes more than that to win the amount of 50-50 balls he does. His timing when he jumps is perfect and it seems to always give him the advantage of positioning against corners, leading him to dominate the 50-50 ball game. We can only hope that Devante continues this top form for years to come… and if he does the Dolphins might have a top 5 receiver in the NFL for years to come, on an extremely affordable contract as well.

Preston Williams

It seems like everyone has forgotten about Preston Williams. As an undrafted rookie, Preston had 32 catches, 428 yards, and 3 touchdowns, but his season was cut in half due to him tearing his ACL just 8 games into the season. Preston was on pace for 64 receptions, 856 yards and 6 touchdown seasons if he didn’t get injured. Those numbers are unheard of for 99% of rookies and 100% of undrafted free agents. I think Preston Williams has the ability to become a special player for the Miami Dolphins if he can continue to develop. Preston Williams has many qualities that give him the potential to be a special player, but it starts with his athletic ability. Williams is an absolute athletic freak standing at 6’5 218 lbs. While he is tall and lengthy, he is also very fast, and the tape shows that. However, what stands out to me the most about Preston Williams is his catch radius and what he does with his arms. While Preston is certainly a good route runner, he has much to improve on, particularly in the short passing game. The length of Preston’s arms makes his catch radius almost impossible to guard. Multiple times on tape I saw Preston catch balls that looked uncatchable. It wasn’t just 50-50 balls either that looked impossible to watch, there were multiple occasions on tape where the ball was severely low or under-thrown and Preston was able to scoop it before it hit the ground. Qualities and ability like that, plus some more development on footwork would make Preston Williams a special wideout in the league.

Albert Wilson

Albert Wilson is a tough case to crack since there are still lingering questions as too if he will even be on this team next year. Last year, Wilson didn’t meet expectations with only 43 receptions, 351 yards, and 1 touchdown. In Wilson’s defense, he was coming off a major hip injury and it takes time to get your legs underneath you. In 2018, pre-injury, Wilson was absolutely electric and could turn screen passes and slants into touchdowns and was a real game-changer. The tape for 2019, shows that Wilson appears to have taken a step back in regard to speed and elusiveness, which is the biggest part of his game. However,  if Wilson can return to pre-injury form and could be a gamechanger for the Dolphins and maybe a viable option in the slot.

Jakeem Grant

Similar to Albert Wilson, Jakeem Grant also underperformed last year and was also coming off a major injury with his Achilles. Last year Grant had just 19 catches for 194 yards. His 2019 tape also shows a step down in speed, but it’s not an overly significant one. If there is anyone who could receive a massive boost in targets due to the drafting of Tua Tagovailoa its Jakeem Grant. Tua has had major success in the past with speed deep threats like Grant. If those two could develop a good game together Grant could have a career year assuming Tua starts this year. If not I’m not sure about his role on this team besides being a special teamer.

Kirk Merritt

Kirk Merritt is one of the few additions the Dolphins made to the Wide Receiver room this offseason. Merritt is a UDFA from Arkansas State and is coming off a monster last two years with 153 receptions, 1,811 yards and 19 touchdowns over those two seasons. Merritt is also an athletic freak; at his pro day, he ran a 4.33 40-yard dash and had a 45.5-inch vertical jump. If you look at his highlights Merritt also displays that he has great hands and is a crisp trout runner. He also fits the mold as a slot receiver, who is the biggest hole in this receiving core. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Merritt eventually became the primary slot receiver for this team.

All in all, I understand why the Dolphins didn’t draft or sign a receiver in free agency but I’m not sure I entirely agree with it. I worry that this receiving group is extremely top-heavy, with Devante Parker and Preston Williams being the top and everyone else is at the bottom. I also worry about who will be the slot receiver for this team. As I mentioned before Wilson or Merritt could fill that role, but there’s no guarantee they would excel in that role. Tight end Mike Geiseki could also fill that slot hole as we have seen in multiple Chan Gailey offenses that tight ends play that “big slot” role similar to Travis Kelce’s role with the Chiefs, but again there is no guarantee that Geiseki would thrive in that role either. Now if Wilson could return to pre-injury or Kirk Merritt becomes the next Preston Williams, this receiving core could be among the top ones in the NFL and that would be huge not only for this team but for new Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

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