Miami Dolphins Camp Battles: Wide receivers
As camp battles provide the excitement at this point in the summer, the Miami Dolphins have two high-upside wide receivers jockeying for a spot
There is a key battle to watch for the Miami Dolphins fourth wide receiver spot. In today’s NFL the WR4 is the primary backup in most cases. Sophomore wideouts Leonte Carroo and Rashawn Scott will be going head-to-head for that role during training camp, and there will be possible huge long-term ramifications depending on the outcome.
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Carroo was the easy favorite to own this role or possibly even be a starter in 2017 at this time last year. The Dolphins had just traded a third-, fourth- and sixth-round pick to the Minnesota Vikings to move up to pick No. 86 to acquire the Rutgers standout. If not for an off-field incident, he would have been a first-round pick and I ranked him as the second-best wideout in the entire draft (and thought about putting him first).
Conversely, Scott was an undrafted receiver out of Miami who flashed incredible talent, but had an injury-marred career at “The U”. He was a long shot to even make the team or even have an impact anywhere on an NFL field. However, the narrative has drastically changed since then.
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The roles are reversed as Scott has impressed and has all the momentum heading into the summer and there have been whispers that Carroo may be battling just to make the 53-man roster. Scott has made a huge impression while Carroo has disappointed. With that said, it’s also been reported that Carroo has taken the offseason much more seriously this year. ESPN’s James Walker tweeted out that Carroo had lost 10 pounds this offseason and he looks to be in great shape.
This is the most important battle among the Dolphins skill-position players. With Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills entrenched as the top-three wideouts, one of these two will be their understudy should an injury, suspension or subpar performance occur from one their top guys. It’s kind of amazing how far these two guys have come in just one year, although, their trajectories are in opposite directions at the moment.
My prediction is that both guys make the team. I was a huge fans of both guys in college and believe Carroo was a first-round talent if not for his violent incident, and Scott a third-rounder if not for his injury woes.
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Carroo will likely have the longer leash due to what Miami sacrificed to get him, but under head coach Adam Gase I believe it will be a fair battle and the superior player will get the job regardless of where they were drafted or what was given up for them. I’m high on both guys. Nonetheless, I give a slight edge to Carroo until I see more moving forward.