Tag: Malik Washington

WATCH: Highlights of Dolphins 6th-round draft pick Malik Washington

Malik Washington led the nation in receptions last season at Virginia before becoming a Dolphins’ sixth-round pick.

Malik Washington didn’t rack up impressive stats in his four seasons at Northwestern. The wide receiver never had a 100-yard game and caught three touchdowns in four years.

But after transferring to Virginia, he put up the type of big numbers that earned him a spot in the 2024 NFL draft with the Miami Dolphins taking him in the sixth round.

Washington led the nation in receptions with 110 and was fourth in receiving yards with 1,426. Two of three who finished with more yardage in 2023 — Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze — were top 10 draft picks Thursday.

“The part of Malik that we like the most is there are some professional football players in that room that he’s going to have to compete against to get opportunities,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said Saturday. “We identified him as a person and an athlete that would be up for the challenge and that’s a tall task. So you know that when you’re looking at these guys and that’s one of the reasons we felt he was a fit to be here.”

A look at his highlight tape from the 2023 season can give Dolphins fans confidence too that Washington is up for that challenge:

Instant analysis of Dolphins’ No. 184 overall pick WR Malik Washington

The Dolphins added an ultra productive receiver to their offense. Can Malik Washington be the third receiver they need?

The Miami Dolphins have a dynamic duo at receiver with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Finding anyone else at the position has been a challenge.

In the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft, the Dolphins hope they found a solution in Malik Washington.

Expecting a sixth-round pick to be productive is always wishful thinking, but Washington certainly didn’t lack for stats in the collegiate ranks. After transferring from Northwestern, Washington put up huge numbers — 110 receptions for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns — at Virginia.

The Dolphins can now hope that Washington and/or 2022 fourth-round pick Erik Ezukanma become productive players in the team’s offense. Will it keep the team from going after Odell Beckham Jr. or Tyler Boyd? Don’t count on it.

Washington fits the profile of a Dolphins receiver at 5’9 with an explosive 42.5-inch vertical, even if he his 4.47 speed won’t win him any races in Miami. But it may be a while before he’s a polished enough route-runner to be a productive player in the NFL.

Even though Washington is a smart and logical choice who should fit in well, the Dolphins will look for more. Miami needs a third receiving option for Tua Tagovailoa and waiting until the sixth round to add at the position probably means the Dolphins will parse through the list of available veterans.

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Dolphins pick Virginia WR Malik Washington at No. 184 in 2024 NFL draft

The Dolphins added another offensive weapon late in the 2024 NFL draft by picking Virginia’s Malik Washington in the sixth round.

The Miami Dolphins selected Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington with the No. 184 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Washington spent the majority of his collegiate career at Northwestern before finishing with one season at Virginia. In his sole year with the Cavaliers, Washington was über productive with 110 receptions for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns.

Like the majority of the Dolphins receivers, he isn’t very big at 5’9, 191 pounds. And while he isn’t going to make Miami’s 4×100 team, he isn’t exactly slow with 4.47 speed and a 42.5-inch vertical.

The Dolphins have struggled to find another receiving option to complement the stellar duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Tight end Durham Smythe was the team’s third leading receiver last year with just 366 yards.

Washington is the fifth member of the team’s 2024 draft class after pass rusher Chop Robinson, offensive tackle Patrick Paul, running back Jaylen Wright, and pass rusher Mohamed Kamara.

After picking Washington, the Dolphins are now scheduled to pick two more times with one selection each in the sixth and seventh rounds. The team’s next selection is the No. 198 overall pick.

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The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar: Doug’s favorite underrated draft prospects

In this week’s Xs and Os, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar discuss Ricky Pearsall, Malik Washington, Renardo Green, Max Melton, Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, and Javon Bullard.

In this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into six of Doug’s favorite underrated prospects in the 2024 NFL draft — players who most likely won’t hear their names called in the first round next Thursday night, but who all can provide serious value to their soon-to-be NFL teams. Two weeks ago, we focused on “Greg’s Guys” in that same regard. Now, here are Doug’s favorites.

Florida receiver Ricky Pearsall — Will Pearsall be able to maintain his gliding speed, route awareness and amazing catches into contact at the NFL level? We’re betting on “yes.”

Virginia receiver Malik Washington — Washington is a shorter (but not thin) player who can create explosive plays all over the field; a team like the Chiefs (for example) should be watching as much of his tape as possible right now.

Florida State cornerback Renardo Green — Green projects well as an outside cornerback despite a lack of desired size, but how will his NFL team deploy him?

Rutgers cornerback Max Melton — In Melton’s case, his NFL team will love his ability to match receivers all over the field, and they’ll likely see the necessary technique fixes as a worthy time investment.

Texas Tech safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson — More than any other safety in this class, Taylor-Demerson has field-scalding speed when in coverage. If he can tamp down the more rogue elements of his athleticism, he could be an easy Pro Bowler.

Georgia safety Javon Bullard — Over the last two seasons, Georgia asked Bullard to completely change his positional profile in ways most college defenders are not asked to do, and he did it all very well. That should make him an easy prospect for most NFL teams.

You can watch this week’s “X and Os” right here:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts. 

2024 NFL Draft: Virginia WR Malik Washington scouting report

Virginia WR Malik Washington has many different ways to make the lives of defenders difficult as a speed slot target, and that projects well in the modern NFL.

A three-star recruit out of Parkview High School in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Malik Washington chose Northwestern over Appalachian State, Duke, Virginia, and Tennessee. He had four seasons of relatively limited production there before transferring to Virginia for the 2023 season and blowing up in a statistical sense. Last season for the Cavaliers, Washington caught 111 passes in 138 targets for 1,384 yards and nine touchdowns. He caught 12 passes of 20 or more air yards last season for 419 yards and three touchdowns, and he had 14 kick returns for 273 yards.

At the NFL level, Washington projects well as a speed slot target with all kinds of ways of getting crafty after the catch.

PLUSES

— Washington has a great sense of how to create separation at the ball point with short-area burst, subtle push-offs, and driving the defender back on vertical routes. He’s a separation generator (copyright @gregcosell).

— Led all receivers in this class in yards after catch last season (710 of 1,384), and he’ll bull through cornerbacks to get more on the field. The weight part of his 5′ 8½”, 191-pound frame shows up as a positive when he needs to do that.

— Has no issue catching the ball when defenders are converging, and he’s about to get whomped. He has a running back’s mentality when it comes to contact.

— Understands how to make space happen in the open field; Washington will drop down from zone coverage to present an easy read in the timing of the play. And his acceleration ensures that if you don’t get his down, he’ll flourish at the third level of the defense.

— Beats press at the line with outstanding foot feints. Bigger cornerbacks can tie him up, but catching him in phase is a problem.

MINUSES

— Blocking is not a thing. He’ll get pushed back far too easily.

— Focus drops are a bit of an issue; Washington will get ahead of himself and drop handoffs on sweeps and end-around plays. He could stand to slow things down in his head sometimes.

— Size will limit him to the slot and inline at the NFL level; Washington is not an outside guy. Three outside targets last season.

I got to Washington a bit late in the process, but I really like him as a speed slot target who can tie defenders in knots in a lot of different ways. Andy Reid should be watching as much of his tape as possible.

6 things I think I learned about the Lions at the NFL Scouting Combine

6 things I think I learned about the Detroit Lions at the NFL Scouting Combine, from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon

After spending over a week in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, it’s nice to be back home. With the pro day circuit firing up later this week, it’s a welcomed pit stop to actually cook a meal. It’s also a good time to share what I think I learned about the Lions at the combine.

I have to say “I think I learned” because, let’s face it, the decisions aren’t made yet. And even if some are, Brad Holmes isn’t sliding into my DMs (or anyone else’s) with his offseason master plan. If you believe anyone speaking in absolutes or guarantees right now, I’ve got timeshares of a bridge to Greenland for sale just for you…

But based on conversations I had with Lions personnel, agents, players and various media members, both local and national, during my week in Indianapolis, here’s what I think I learned about the Lions.

Panthers 2024 post-combine meetings tracker

Does anybody need a list of 2024 draft prospects the Panthers have spoken with thus far? We got you.

The 2024 scouting combine is now in the books. 40s have been dashed, 20s have been shuttled, benches have been pressed and vertical and broads have been jumped.

Oh, and there were plenty of talks to be had.

Among the annual activities at the combine are the meetings between prospects and potentially interested teams. And as far as the Carolina Panthers are concerned, we may have to pay a bit more attention to who they’re talking to since their first pick doesn’t pop up until the second round.

So, we’ll help you out.

Here are all the known players—whether they were at the combine, Senior Bowl, Shrine Bowl or even the College Gridiron Showcase—the Panthers have spoken with to this point:

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Virginia WR Malik Washington gets another meeting with Panthers

UVA WR Malik Washington has now racked up multiple meetings with the Panthers.

One of the more intriguing receiver prospects got himself a second date with the Carolina Panthers.

At his media availability from this year’s scouting combine, University of Virginia’s Malik Washington told reporters that he’s met with a handful of teams over in Indianapolis. That group includes the Panthers, who also spoke with the wideout at the Shrine Bowl last month.

Washington isn’t amongst the most physically intimidating pass catchers of the 2024 NFL draft, as he stands at 5-foot-9 and about 190 pounds. But his production certainly stacks up with the rest of the class, as he reeled in 110 receptions for 1,426 yards and 10 touchdowns en route to a first-team All-ACC nod this past season.

Currently projected as a Day 2 or Day 3 selection, Washington could bring some much needed firepower to the Carolina offense. Along with the Panthers, he’s also met with the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans.

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Panthers mock draft roundup 1.0: Tracking the latest 2024 projections

Early (multi-round)mock drafts are sending some of the nation’s top wideouts to Carolina.

In case you haven’t heard, the Carolina Panthers don’t have a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

Yeah, yeah, we know. This is a particularly tough year not to have one considering, well, it’d be the No. 1. Alas, we shall trek and track forward.

So, instead of tracking mock drafts this offseason for Carolina’s first-round projections (because we can’t), we’ll search for the predictions on their second-round pick—their first of the spring.

Here is our opening edition of the 2024 mock draft roundup:

Panthers 2024 mock draft 3.0: Post-Super Bowl LVIII edition

With the Super Bowl in the books and the combine less than two weeks away, here’s our latest 2024 mock draft for the Panthers.

As the lights on Super Bowl LVII had faded, the focus of the NFL now starts to shift towards April—for the 2024 NFL draft.

So, with the combine set to kick off in less than two weeks, who should Carolina Panthers fans have their eyes on?

Here’s a post-Super Bowl, pre-combine mock to hold you off . . .