I have to admit that this isn't the pick I would have made and I'm sitting here not that excited. Can't argue with his ability to get separation, which is what we need. I suspect Fuller is one and done here in Miami. Waddle will look to be our WR1. Let's see how we go!
2 first round picks for an undersized athlete. Athlete WR are available in round 2 and 3... Grier sucks at drafting. Should of stayed at 3 or 12. Eagles raped us. Stole our first rounder and got the better WR.
I’m with you. Not sure why we like to take small players with injury history from Alabama but really disappointed again.
I think it’s pretty clear that he wouldn’t have been there at 12. If we took him I doubt we were the only team that had him above Smith. Smith went before NYG who obviously would have taken him had PHI not jumped them. Don’t know how this turns out for us, but if we wanted him, it’s likely we had to take him at 6.
From SI.com: Dolphins Pick Waddle: Instant Analysis The Miami Dolphins selected wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft ALAIN POUPART 1 HOUR AGO The Dolphins obviously felt the need for speed. That's what the Dolphins got when they selected Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle with the sixth overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft. Waddle will bring a big-play element that was missing on the Dolphins offense last season and his ability to turn short passes into long gains or take the top off a defense should be invaluable for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa obviously saw first-hand the kind of explosiveness that Waddle possesses during their days together at the University of Alabama. Waddle was selected after both tight end Kyle Pitts and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase were taken by the Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals fourth and fifth overall, getting the nod over his Alabama teammate DeVonta Smith and Oregon tackle Penei Sewell. While it could be argue that the Dolphins maybe were more in need of an offensive lineman, the argument certainly could be made they can get one later in this draft, maybe even at 18 or in the second round. If the choice was between the two wide receivers, this was the way to go, as we previously explained. While he possesses good game speed, Smith does not have anywhere near the kind of explosiveness that Waddle possesses. We also explained why Waddle is not a second coming of Ted GInn Jr. even though there are physical similarities. Instead, we prefer the current NFL comp of Tyreek Hill. And for those who will bemoan taking Waddle over Smith because Smith is the one who had the Heisman season in 2020, let us remind you again that before Waddle fractured his ankle he was the one who had the better receiving numbers in the first four games last year. In those four games, Waddle had 557 receiving yards, four touchdowns and a 22.3 average. Smith had 483 receiving yards with four touchdowns and a 12.7 average. So if the choice was between Waddle and Smith, it says here they made the right call. https://www.si.com/nfl/dolphins/news/miami-dolphins-instant-analysis-of-selection-of-jaylen-waddle
This is exactly where I’m at. We gave up the chance for Chase or Pitts for a 2022 3rd and 2023 1st for a guy who is small and injured. I feel the same way about this as I did Tua.
No one has a crystal ball, but there were people who thought Waddle was the best WR available (apparently including us). Had we not traded up we’d have been behind PHI (who took the best WR available), and NYG (who immediately traded back after the top 3 WR’s were off of the board). Lots of locks had Waddle going to NYG at 11. This doesn’t take into account any of the other teams who felt Waddle was a top 10 pick and who might snatch him up. again, not sure how it would have or will pan out for us, but evidently we really wanted him. Rumor is he was our target and we got him plus an additional first and third, so can’t really complain looking at it through that lens.
And yet I can. We should have stayed at 3 and taken Pitts or Chase. At 6, we should have taken Sewell. And if neither Waddle nor Smith was available at 12, then we should have taken the BPA and taken a WR in the second round.
To me, this reeks of desperation. They wanted Chase or Pitts and were convinced one of the two would fall to them, and they didn't have any good plan for if that didn't happen.
The Ginn family wouldve been if we drafted Smith.. i like Devonta Smith but only at 18... that first hit he gets from a linebacker or safety worries me... smith said it himself if Waddle stays healthy he wouldnt have won the Heisman, Mac Jones wouldve been the Heisman. waddle has superior measurements... stronger, faster, has a better build..
do you read what you even wrote? like do you even know devonte smith is the undersized athlete.......
Even if JW is better, he wasn't worth the 6th overall pick. Most WR aren't worth top 20 picks. In many respects, you could argue that after RB, Wideouts have the worst first round value...
I’m just glad there’s finally gonna be some guys that can get separation from DBs. And if this means Grant isn’t returning punts or running deep routes anymore just so he can drop passes that hit him square in the hands, that by itself may be worth it.
Fair enough. It still doesn't change the fact we spent 2 first round picks on a 5'9" 175lbs slot WR... He isn't Julio Jones or AJ Green, both of whom were drafted with multiple 1sts, IIRC. We should of prioritized making sure our 6'0" 200lb injury prone QB is protected and then found him some weapons. As it stands, we overpaid and didn't get our biggest need. Worst of both worlds.
Julio Jones or AJ Green weren't in this draft. What they got was the best wide receiver in the draft against main coverage and someone who can take the top off of the defense. I don't think we overpaid at all. That, IMO, is old thinking and not how you build good teams. You take the best players and Waddle was one of the best players in this draft.
So we picked a slot receiver at #6?! Hope he becomes something like Tyreek Hill and stays healthy otherways I don't get why we picked him over Sewell or didn't trade down or why we traded up.
Context matters. We could of stayed at 3 and drafted a generational TE or stayed at 12 and still had a shot at Waddle, Smith, etc.... still getting one of the best players. There's no reason to believe we couldn't strike a deal with Dallas for a 3rd to move up, just like Philly, if we wanted too. Instead, Miami used up 2 first round picks to draft a player that isn't worth 2 first round picks, when they didn't need to. Context matters.
We had the choice of Pitts or Chase at 3. Yet we end up with neither and settle for Waddle. What's the point of stockpiling picks if you keep drafting down and miss out on the consensus best talent available! 2023 may not have that level of Pitts or Chase available so what was the point
He was but got picked up at 5. We got the present value of a 3rd and 4th round pick to move back 3 spots for a short slot WR who was injured last year.
I don’t understand the negativity to this pick. Jaylen Waddle is an absolute weapon. And his will to be great is amazing. Before his injury, according to Saban, he was the most popular guy (read leader) in the Bama locker room. Before he was injured, in Bama’s first four games, his numbers were better than Smith’s and they were better than Chase’s first four games from the year before. He was never lower than six receptions and 120 yards receiving per game. I’m an Auburn alum, and he tore my team a new one two years ago in the Iron Bowl. He stepped up in big games. Against No. 3 UGa last year, he was undeniably the best player on the field and was the total game-changer. And until his injury, he was the Bama receiver on pace for the Heisman last year. He runs with Ruggs type speed, but he has way more control with that speed. According to PFF, his drop rate over his career was less than Chase’s. His avg. YAC per game is better than any college receiver since 2014. And, dear me, does he separate, which is exactly the kind of receiver Tua needs. My first choice was Kyle Pitts, and I would have been thrilled with Chase because I love his physicality, but besides Pitts, I think the Dolphins got the other matchup nightmare player in this draft that will make DC’s heads explode. The Miami Dolphins need/have needed a player like that for a long time. Combine that pick with Phillips, and the Dolphins - albeit with some concern on the injury front - got much better on both sides of the ball last night. Give me Javonte Williams and a good Center tonight somewhere along the line, and check, check, check, check - fantastic draft for Miami.