Miami Dolphins Training-Camp Primer: Wide Receivers

But this is his third season, and he appears to be turning a corner. Parcells and Sporano have heaped praise on him, and it seems like Hagan may finally have his head where it belongs. His physical tools are not the problem.

He's big (6'2"), tough, and has shown the ability to get open. He's also only 24-years old.

It is far too early to give up on Hagan just yet. His ceiling as a starter is greater than Wilford's, and if you combine that with the fact that Wilford plays better as a third-string guy, then this situation just sets itself up for Hagan supplanting Wilford as the starter, opposite Ginn, at some point this season—perhaps even as early as opening day.

Hagan likely won't have a great season in terms of conventional numbers, but I'm confident he's going to show the team that he is worth keeping around as part of the future.  

Greg Camarillo 

Camarillo will forever be remembered by Miami fans for making the season-saving catch last year against Baltimore and ensuring that Miami would win at least one game. But besides that, he's a pretty useful player to have around.

He is a quality gunner on special teams, and he can hold down the fourth-receiver spot. He's got pretty good size and he catches the ball very well. At 26-years old, he's still fresh, too. What's not to like about this guy?

When you get down to your fourth and fifth receivers, you are looking for someone who can fill multiple roles. Camarillo does exactly that, and he does it well.  

David Kircus 

Kircus is a tall and fast receiver who has had his career derailed by leg injuries and legal troubles off the field. That is not a combination that I would be looking for.

Granted, the coaching staff has singled him out on a few occasions to praise him, but I'd rather see the fifth receiver spot go to one of the rookies or a waiver-wire pickup with more upside and fewer injury concerns.  

Davone Bess 

Bess' college numbers look incredible at first glance, but they were largely a product of Hawaii's run-and-shoot offense. Still, Bess has impressed the coaching staff so far in minicamps.

He's small at only 5'10" and he's not fast enough to be a deep threat, but his route running is excellent, and he has the agility to get open on a consistent basis.

He also offers some return abilities to boot. Bess is probably the best rookie receiver on the Dolphins' roster, and his potential to turn into a serviceable No. 3 or No. 4 receiver down the road warrants his inclusion on the 53-man roster.  

Jayson Foster 

Miami signed Foster as an undrafted, college free-agent and has begun the process of turning the former college QB into a receiver and return specialist. He's absolutely tiny (5'7", 170 lbs.), but he is like a Swiss Army knife combined with a sparkplug.

He's real fun to watch (his YouTube highlight reel is now legendary among Dolphin fans) and he has a lot of people rooting for him to succeed.

However, the fact is that he's a 5'7" kid who has never played receiver before. I'm not writing him off, but I do think he'd best be served by a year on the practice squad. Perhaps he could eventually take over Ginn's punt-return duties next season while serving as a backup receiver and gadget-play extraordinaire.  

Selwyn Lymon 

Lymon, an undrafted, college free-agent, is another big, tall (6'3") possession receiver that Parcells and Jeff Ireland love. Of course, he comes with several questions about his maturity, work ethic, and character. If he shows mental growth throughout training camp, he may lock up a spot on the practice squad.  

Justin Wynn 

No one really knows much about Wynn since he hasn't played organized football since 2004. He's a real longshot to make the practice squad, obviously.  

John Dunlap 

After Tab Perry was lost for the season with an injury, and David Kircus hurt his hamstring again, the team went out and signed Dunlap as injury insurance. And that's really all he is. He's a camp body whose main job is to lessen the reps that the other guys go through each day in practice. He never impressed in college, so it would be quite a story if he made even the practice squad.  

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Here's my predicted depth chart: 

1. Ted Ginn 

2. Ernest Wilford 

3. Derek Hagan 

4. Greg Camarillo 

5. Davone Bess 

6. Jayson Foster (practice squad) 

7. Selwyn Lymon (practice squad)  

Training camp battle to watch

Wilford vs. Hagan for the starting spot opposite Ginn.

Check out Sam's site Phinaticism for even more Dolphins news and commentary.

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