One of the most pressing issues awaiting the Miami Dolphins this offseason is finding the right kind of wide receivers to surround QB Tua Tagovailoa with as the team attempts to build out the proper offense to cater to their young quarterback’s needs. Miami’s current stable of receivers are built around size and winning contested throws — a recipe that worked for OC Chan Gailey and QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, but is not necessarily best for the future.
If you needed any further evidence of this, Gailey has resigned from his post with the Dolphins and Fitzpatrick is in a contract year — he’s not guaranteed to return in 2021 and despite the love and respect he commands in the locker room, the case could be made that Miami is better off without Fitzpatrick in the picture. For so long as he is, there will questions about if he should be starting. Miami would be wise to put that behind them.
So expect the skill group to be completely overhauled for Miami — and ESPN’s Todd McShay has proposed quite the ambitious overhaul with his first 2021 NFL mock draft. It sees the Dolphins spending not just the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on a wide receiver, but also the No. 18 pick as well.
At No. 3 overall, McShay mocked the Dolphins a familiar face: Alabama WR DeVonta Smith — the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner. Smith has been brilliant for the past two seasons in Alabama; one with Tagovailoa as his quarterback and the other this past season with Mac Jones. And with the history between Tagovailoa and Smith, the connection between the two won’t stop with this mock draft from McShay.
At No. 18, McShay mocked the Dolphins Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman; more of a middle of the field receiver who has thrived with RPO concepts with the Gophers. Bateman has plus ball skills and is an impressive receiver in traffic, so he’d complement Smith’s route running prowess quite well.
These two, plus any investments in free agency, would seemingly set Miami up for some significant success in overhauling the wide receiver room. And with Miami looking to roll momentum from 2020 into 2021, this feels like an exciting step in the right direction. We’ll just have to see if the Dolphins are taking notes.