Miami Dolphins Draft Prospects 2018 - Wide Receiver Preview

The Dolphins have one of better wide receivers corps in the NFL. Jarvis Landry (already one of my favorite dolphins of all time) is an absolute playmaker that plays with his heart on his sleeve. Kenny Stills has deadly speed and the ability to take the top off the defense; and DeVante Parker has elite God-given talent. I am truly excited to see how they all mesh with Jay Cutler this season. Now, I know we are nervous about Landry’s contract; I can’t imagine us losing Landry and if we do (God forbid) it will be a dark day in Dolphin’s history. However, I do believe we will end up working this out and if we do get the contract done, the Dolphins will end up going with Stills and Landry for our future. Despite our strength at this position, and the depth we have, it would still be wise for us to look into this draft class because its pretty good. I really feel like I’ve just scratched the surface of this class and I am looking forward to seeing what the season holds for them. Now, with all that said, lets get into one of the more well-known names in Calvin Ridley.

Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama - Junior

6-1 190 lbs

Ridley is one of Alabama’s top weapons on offense. He’s got deadly quickness, is able to get to top speed very suddenly, good hands, able to go across the middle, smart player (he’s aware of game situations), pretty good route runner and pretty tough despite his small frame. That’s one of my concerns, to me he just looks thin. He’s not overly tough, more of a finesse player and I think his field vision when he’s got the ball could be improved...and with that said I really want him to be a little more dangerous when he’s got the ball. Now, with all that said, Ridley is a good player; he’s going to be a decently high pick. I wouldn’t call him elite though. I think he’s got good speed but nothing amazing, his blocking is average, hands are good and he’s been very productive. If he takes another step forward this year he will be a top prospect in next year’s draft, plain and simple.

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Christian Kirk, WR, Texas A&M - Junior

5-11 200 lbs

Kirk is another speedy, shifty guy similiar to Ridley. He’s got elite quickness and can makes sudden cuts look easy. He’s also a smart receiver like Ridley and can improvise on broken plays to find the soft spot in the defense. I like his hands; he has shown great concentration on hard catches. I think he’s a little more elusive than Ridely but I do think both could be more dangerous with the ball (and to be perfectly clear they both are dangerous but I wouldn’t say elite at this point). Now, he does look a little think, I would love to see him add some bulk while keeping his explosiveness. He does struggle vs press coverage too. I think he needs to get tougher and stronger. His speed is another major weapon for him but it’s not elite. Overall Kirk is a speedy playmaker that can take it to the house.

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Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado St. - Senior

6-1 198 lbs

I fell in love with a lot Gallup’s film. He’s similar in size to Ridely and Kirk but he doesn’t have the speed those two possess. However, some players you can just see heart in their film and I can see it in Gallup’s. (Prime example, tell me you can’t see Jarvis Landry’s heart everytime he steps foot on the field). Now, he’s not as good as Landry, but he’s got heart. I love his style of play; when he gets the ball, going all-out. I‘ve seen plays where he almost goes out of his way to hit someone....I love that. He has great hands, he’s a good route runner, terrific blocker, tough, able to win one on one jump balls, and even though he’s not a burner, he’s got sneaky speed. The only time I felt like he kind of disappointed me was when they were losing 41-14 against Idaho last season in their bowl game; it didn’t look like he was giving it his all. He did step it up towards to end of that game (I believe that highlights of that are on youtube if you want to check it out). All in all, I really like Gallup and would put a high draft grade on him.

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Courtland Sutton, WR, SMU - Junior

6-3 218 lbs

Sutton is a big, athletic and gifted receiver for SMU. I like his hands, his toughness, and the speed despite his size. He wins one on one battles and has been very productive during his college career. Even though he’s tough and can win jump balls I believe he could be even more physical. Sutton does a good job of positioning and controlling his body to haul down catches. That is definitely a weapon but in the NFL he will need to focus on more details and improve the little things in his game. He looks like a good prospect though and I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up being a high round pick.

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Equanimeous St. Brown, WR, Notre Dame

6-5 205 lbs

St. Brown receives a lot of hype and mainly because he’s huge and fast. Now, I’ll tell you this, he’s got potential. He’s got the speed, good jumping ability, able to fight through traffic, he’s ok at winning jump balls...he’s clearly a great athlete. However, he’s got to put on more weight; he looks so thin, he’s not aggressive to me at all, terrible blocker, not a good playmaker, and his route running needs work. It may sound like I am being hard and well I am. He’s getting first round ‘grades’ all over the place; I don’t see that. He needs to show us this year that he’s improved in multiple areas before we can even begin to peg him where he would fall in next year’s draft.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

James Washington, WR, Oklahoma St. - Senior

6-0 205 lbs
Washington is a speedy guy that has great not elite speed. He can be dangerous with the ball in his hands but he’s got poor field vision. He’s a battler, is able to win one on one match ups, which is awesome. He’s got fantastic body control and can make some pretty terrific catches. He’s tough receiver too. I don’t know if its because he’s number 28 but he almost reminds me a RB playing receiver. He’s tough, shifty, makes good cuts and is pretty fast. He’s a interesting prospect that I am not ready yet to think about where he falls in this class but he’s closer to a top half pick for sure.

Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio St.
Deon Cain, WR, Clemson - possible high pick
Simmie Cobbs, Wr, Indiana
Allen Lazard, WR, Iowa St.
Cedric Wilson, WR, Boise St.
Dante Pettis, WR, Washington