Miami Dolphins select Jaylen Waddle in 2021 NFL Draft: Grading the pick
By Tadhg Flynn
Did the Miami Dolphins make the right choice with the 6th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft selecting Jaylen Waddle? We grade the pick.
The Miami Dolphins selected the highest-rated offensive player available with their No. 6 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Jaylen Waddle, reuniting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with his old college teammate.
The NFL Draft set a record in 2021 with seven offensive picks in a row becoming the longest selection streak of offensive players ever. Waddle was, of course, in that run.
The Dolphins will be delighted taking a player who would be a No. 1 offensive player in many past drafts. But did the Dolphins make the right decision? Let’s take a look at the pick and give it a grade.
Grading the selection of Jaylen Waddle at No. 6 by the Miami Dolphins
Grade: A
The Miami Dolphins knew their priorities heading into the draft this year. They have built a solid defensive unit over the past number of offseasons, and it was expected this draft would be focused on their offensive weaponry in early rounds. Rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa struggled in his first nine NFL starts, and if the Dolphins want to progress, they need to support him with the tools to succeed.
The NFL Draft always upsets the expert draft boards, and those predictions were thrown out the window by pick No. 3 with San Francisco taking Trey Lance.
Also ignoring the experts’ calls, the Falcons selected the best-rated player in the draft in Kyle Pitts and the Cincinnati Bengals reunited quarterback Joe Burrow with LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase.
The MIami Dolphins were slated on many draft boards to be the first team to take an offensive talent. If he listened to any pre-draft suggestions of best fits, general manager Chris Grier would have been sweating.
With the best two offensive weapons taken from the board, the Miami Dolphins planned for the possibility and prioritized the players they wanted most. It is no bad thing that the player they ended up with is Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle was one of the best receivers on college football’s premier program Alabama Crimson Tide, and the easy chemistry that will blossom with former teammate Tua holds huge promise for the Dolphins.
It may be natural to assume that some Miami fans will be disappointed to miss out on the two offensive skill players taken ahead of Waddle, especially after trading down with the hopes of still getting them. Kyle Pitts is a once-in-a-generation tight end and Ja’Marr Chase helped his LSU team to set college records. It will be the only blemish on an otherwise stellar pick by the Dolphins, and the reason the grade is not an A+.