Dolphins draft preview: A deep class could give Miami a No. 3 wide receiver

No wide receiver duo combined for more yards in 2023 than the Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, who recorded 2,813 receiving yards. However, injuries to both players in the second half of the season exposed depth concerns for Miami.

The Dolphins have yet to upgrade their wide receiver room this offseason but it’s a priority. Free agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. visited the team’s facility two weeks ago but left without signing a contract. The Dolphins made an offer, though, and talks will continue, coach Mike McDaniel said at the league owners meetings last week.

The addition of a No. 3 wide receiver, whether it be Beckham, another free agent or a rookie in this month’s NFL Draft would give Miami insurance behind its two standouts — and could change the complexion of the offense in the 2024 season.

“As long as we have very capable football players at every position, you’re trying to position yourself where, ‘OK, who’s the best player at what they do and let’s evolve around them,’” McDaniel said. “How I talk about skill position players in general, at this stage, where we’re at with our roster, that’s the kind of approach that we look at for the roster. Who is the best player, and we’ll adjust by position. If you’re super fired up about a third receiver, whether that’s free agency or the draft, then you evolve into more three-receiver sets.”

Miami has six picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, including Nos. 21 and 55 in the first two rounds with the next choice in the fifth round, No. 157 overall.

As the draft approaches April 25-27, the Miami Herald examines Miami’s wide receiver options.

DEPTH CHART

▪ Projected starters: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle

▪ Reserves: Braxton Berrios, River Cracraft, Erik Ezukanma, Braylon Sanders, Anthony Schwartz, Mathew Sexton

WHAT DO THE DOLPHINS NEED?

An explosive and reliable third option. Hill and Waddle are still expected to get the bulk of targets from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa in 2024. However, Miami’s coaching staff has made a concerted effort to limit their wear and tear. Hill only missed one game last season but his 67 percent snap share was the lowest since he became a full-time starter in 2017. Waddle, who missed three games because of injury, played a career-low 68 percent of the offensive snaps.

Even when healthy, Hill and Waddle aren’t going to play every snap. So when they do head to the sideline to get rest, the Dolphins need a trusted pass-catcher who won’t telegraph the offense is running and can provide something in the passing game. A top addition would allow Miami to diversify its offense, using more three-receiver sets. This player would ideally be able to find the soft spots in the zone coverage that the Dolphins often see but also win one-on-one matchups when teams decide to play man coverage.

Here are wide receivers the Dolphins could target in the draft.

LSU’s Brian Thomas Jr.

▪ Height: 6-3.

▪ Weight: 209 pounds.

▪ 2023 stats: 13 games played, 68 receptions, 1,177 yards, 17 touchdowns.

▪ What to know: Thomas’ LSU teammates Jayden Daniels and Malik Nabers are expected to be selected within the top-10 picks, but Thomas might not have to wait much longer to hear his name called. Thomas led college football with 17 touchdown catches. He has a combination of size and speed (4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine) that would give Miami’s receivers room a different dimension without sacrificing McDaniel’s affinity for speed. The majority of Thomas’ snaps came out wide, so this could allow Hill and Waddle to work more in the slot and get free releases while Thomas stretches the field.

▪ Projection: Round 1.

Texas’ Xavier Worthy

▪ Height: 5-11.

▪ Weight: 165 pounds.

▪ 2023 stats: 14 games played, 75 receptions, 1,014 yards, five touchdowns.

▪ What to know: Worthy’s blazing 4.21-second 40-yard dash, a Combine record, caught the NFL’s attention, but he’s more than just a straight-line speedster. He has great change of direction and improved his hands this past season. He isn’t just effective on go routes, too; he did a lot of his damage on quick-hitting routes such as screens and hitches. His frame will draw concerns about his ability to beat press coverage and come down with contested catches but over 40 percent of his snaps came from the slot last season and that could be a road map to success in the NFL.

Projection: Round 1-2.

Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley

Height: 5-11.

Weight: 215 pounds.

2023 stats: 12 games played, 79 receptions, 984 yards, 11 touchdowns.

What to know: While an offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, McDaniel helped oversee a multifaceted role for wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who moonlighted as a running back. Corley could provide a similar skill set in Miami. He arrived at Western Kentucky as a running back but transitioned to wide receiver, becoming a two-time All-Conference USA First-Team selection.

Corley worked exclusively in the slot in college and his 330 screen yards were first in college football last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also tough to bring down once he got the ball; his 8.6 yards after catch per reception tied for 16th in the country. Corley is regarded as an unfinished product as a wide receiver — his route running and releases need work — but he’s a playmaker McDaniel could easily scheme up touches for.

Projection: Day 2

Florida’s Ricky Pearsall

Height: 6-1.

Weight: 189 pounds.

2023 stats: 12 games played, 65 receptions, 965 yards, four touchdowns.

What to know: Pearsall projects as a slot-heavy receiver in the NFL. He doesn’t win with straight-line speed — his 4.41-second 40 diminished concerns about that area of his game — but with crisp-route running and releases. Pearsall has reliable hands — just two drops on 88 targets last season — and has a knack for making tough catches.

Projection: Day 2.

Michigan’s Roman Wilson

Height: 5-11.

Weight: 185 pounds.

2023 stats: 15 games played, 48 receptions, 789 yards, 12 touchdowns.

What to know: Wilson is used to not seeing a ton of targets and doing a lot of the dirty work in an offense. He made the most of his role in a run-heavy offense, frequently asked to take on tough blocking assignments. That should endear him to a Dolphins coaching staff that demands their receivers to block with maximum effort.

Wilson, a high school teammate of Tagovailoa for one season at Saint Louis High School in Hawaii, has the skill set for a bigger role in the NFL. He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash and his 12 deep catches — receptions on passes that traveled at least 20 yards — tied for 18th-most in the country, according to PFF. He’s not the biggest receiver and he might have to work a lot in the slot but he has physicality and toughness that would appreciated with the Dolphins.

Projection: Day 2