After the Miami Dolphins traded Jaylen Waddle, they created a hole at the wide receiver position. The team had already released All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill earlier in the offseason, but Waddle’s trade to the Denver Broncos left Miami without a proven receiver at the top of the team’s depth chart.
Because the team is prioritizing their salary cap for the 2027 season, the Dolphins did not find an immediate replacement for either Waddle or Hill in free agency. As things currently stand, none of the wide receivers on the roster totaled more than 350 receiving yards last season.
As a result, the expectation is that Miami will address that position during the NFL Draft. One insider revealed the team may add two receivers within the first three rounds of the draft. And a new mock draft has predicted that the Dolphins will add a player who has drawn comparisons to Detroit Lions Pro Bowl wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Miami Dolphins Predicted to Draft Makai Lemon
NFL.com’s writer Gennaro Filice released his latest mock draft, in which he predicted that the Miami Dolphins would select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon with the No. 11 selection. Filice wrote:
“Handing Malik Willis a mid-tier quarterback contract made business sense to me. But if the Dolphins want the 26-year-old to flip the switch from intriguing prospect to franchise player, they need to give him some arrows in the quiver. After trading away Jaylen Waddle, Miami has a receiving corps that is fronted by Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert. Makai can give Malik a versatile target who plays much bigger than his 5-foot-11, 192-pound size.”
NFL.com’s draft analyst Lance Zierlein listed Amon-Ra St. Brown as his pro comparison for Lemon. Regarding Lemon, Zierlein wrote:
“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 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.”
For the Lions, St. Brown has had four straight seasons with over 100 receptions and has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of those seasons. Additionally, he has been selected as a first-team All-Pro twice. Adding a player with similar production would be a home run for the Dolphins.
Miami’s Second Selection
After the Waddle trade, the Dolphins have an additional first-round pick as they now have the No. 30 pick in the draft.
With their second selection, Filice predicted the Miami Dolphins would draft Clemson edge T.J. Parker. Filice wrote:
“Jeff Hafley takes over a defense that’s riddled with holes in Miami. Chop Robinson is the Dolphins’ top edge rusher — at least in theory, but he’s coming off a highly disappointing sophomore campaign. Here’s a different kind of edge — more size and power than speed and bend — who would immediately upgrade Miami’s 26th-ranked run defense.”
The Dolphins waiting until the No. 30 pick to address their need at the edge position makes sense, considering in this mock draft the top three pass rushers had already been selected. Meanwhile, Lemon would be the second receiver off the board, behind only Carnell Tate.
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