Jon-Eric Sullivan, Miami Dolphins
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(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
With the NFL Draft approaching on April 23, all eyes are on the Miami Dolphins and how the team will improve their pass-catching weapons. This offseason, Miami cut ties with Tyreek Hill and traded Jaylen Waddle, and so the wideout room has a lot of question marks.
As a result, many are projecting when the Dolphins will be using their plethora of draft picks to select a wideout to help their new starting QB, Malik Willis. Although he didn’t name who Miami will select or is leaning toward, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer speculated that the Dolphins will use their picks on receivers.
“I think they will get a receiver or two within the first three rounds of the draft, but again, not any particular name I would look at,”Breer said on the April 9 edition of “The Breer Report.”
Moreover, Breer speculated that the Dolphins having Bobby Slowik as their offensive coordinator suggests that former Indiana Hoosiers wideout Omar Cooper Jr. could be a target for Miami.
“I do think you can look at some of the guys and look at their background. You do have an offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, who is from the [Kyle] Shanahan, [Sean] McVay background, and generally those guys have looked for receivers who are really good blockers and tough at receiver, guys who can help you in the running game.
“The one that sticks out in that regard would be Omar Cooper Jr. from Indiana. I think taking him at 11 would be a little rich. I’m not sure he’s going to be available at 30… I think Cooper would be the one that would fit what Bobby Slowik is looking for and probably, from a program standpoint, what Jeff Hafley is looking for.”
Dolphins HC Gets Blunt About Team’s Wideout Group
Recently, Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley shared good news for Willis, noting that the team intends to bolster the wide receiver group to ensure their new QB has the weapons needed to succeed in the 2026 NFL season.
“He’s going to throw the ball to some good players,”Hafley told Kay Adams on the March 30 edition of “Up & Adams.” “We’ve got, we’ve got a bunch of good guys coming back, a bunch of guys that we signed, and we’ve got a lot of draft picks, a lot of them.
“We’ve got seven in the first 100 picks. We’ll have receivers for Malik to throw to. The next time you talk after the draft and as we get the players here, I think you’re going to see we’ll get some good ones for him to throw to.“
Could Makai Lemon Be a Fit in Miami?
With two first-round picks, could Miami decide to take a wide receiver with the No. 11 pick to give Willis a target that could help him out this upcoming 2026 season? For ESPN’s Matt Miller, formerUSC Trojans star Makai Lemon makes sense.
“I’m a huge fan of Makai Lemon from USC,“Miller said during a March 17 appearance on the “Rich Eisen Show.”“I think he would be a fit at eleven if he’s still on the board. He is actually my number one receiver in this draft.
“Now, he’s a little bit smaller than Carnell Tate, but his middle-of-the-field toughness is exceptional. He’s a great route runner, a YAC player. He could play in the slot. He could play outside.”