The Dolphins need WR help. Here’s what will make a WR stand out in the draft
The Miami Dolphins need wide receiver help.
After a March trade sent Jaylen Waddle to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a first, a third and a fourth-round pick swap, the Dolphins’ receiver core has looked kind of barren. The options currently include Jalen Tolbert, Malik Washington, Tutu Atwell, Theo Wease Jr., Tahj Washington, Terrace Marshall Jr. and AJ Henning, none of whom have posted an NFL season with at least 650 yards.
That likely puts pressure on the Dolphins to nail the pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, especially with a first-year starter in Malik Willis at quarterback. Luckily, both general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and his father Jerry, a legendary wide receiver coach with nearly 50 years of experience, know a thing or two about the position.
“I think it’s a really good receiver draft,” Sullivan said at the NFL’s annual league meeting. “Obviously there’s some very good receivers up top butt I think there’s depth a substance to it in the second, third and fourth-round.”
Sullivan expressed faith in the Dolphins’ current crop of receivers yet acknowledged that the room definitely could benefit from an influx of talent.
“Malik Washington is a really good football player,” Sullivan continued. He can do a lot of different things, very good with the ball in his hands. Tolbert has something to prove. Terrace Marshall has something to prove. I think all these guys have something to prove, and they understand that they have something to prove. I think they know what the narrative is – nobody’s expecting much – they understand that. They’re chasing the carrot. But I think it’s our job to put more substance in that room.”
Jerry’s resume speaks for its. Over his coaching career, the 81-year-old has been instrumental in the careers of Larry Fitzgerald, Isaac Bruce, Anquan Boldin, Herman Moore as well as Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase. Ask him what are some of the defining points of greatness at the position, and it’s not just speed that will make a receiver stand out.
“When you see guys who run good, smooth routes with good technique, it’s so much easier for them to catch the ball,” Sullivan told The Athletic in 2022. “So much easier for them to separate. And you don’t have to be the fastest guy in the world if you’re a great route runner.”
So if the Sullivan family sees the premium in route-running, that would lend well to receivers like Southern California’s Makai Lemon, Ohio State’s Carnell Tate, Alabama’s Germie Bernard and Georgia State’s Ted Hurst. The younger Sullivan, however, dropped a nugget at the NFL Combine about what he likely wants from the position.
“As we build this thing effort down the road,” Sullivan said prior to the Waddle trade, “you can probably say that we’ll make a conscious effort to be bigger in that room.”
If the Dolphins want size, that would likely downgrade Lemon and Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, another top receiver who's often been mocked to the Miami, both of whom measured in at just under 6-foot. It would, however, make bigger receivers like Washington’s Denzel Boston, Tate and Hurst more valuable.
Here’s also where Sullivan’s background with the Green Bay Packers also comes into play. The Dolphins GM started with the Packers in 2003 and over his more than two decades there, Green Bay only took one receiver – Matthew Golden in 2025 – in the first round. All the other successful pass-catchers that have donned the dark green and gold – Greg Jennings (2006 second-rounder), Jordy Nelson (2008 second-rounder), Randall Cobb (2011 second-rounder), Davante Adams (2014 second-rounder, Jayden Reed (2023 second-rounder), Christian Watson (2022 second-rounder) – all were day two picks.
By that logic, Hurst becomes the more logical option as Boston and Tate will likely be selected in the first round. Bernard, who measured in at just over 6-foot, also becomes a potential day two option if he doesn’t fit the big receiver mold.
Regardless of who they decide to add to wideout room, it’s clear that there are several options in the draft – even with lack of sure-fire, elite talent at the top. As Sullivan continues to define his legacy as a general manager, acing the receiver pick will go a long way.
This story was originally published April 11, 2026 at 11:54 AM.
