Miami Dolphins Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Wide Receiver
Plenty of positions on the Miami Dolphins depth chart are deeper than the Atlantic Ocean, while some are as shallow as a kiddie pool.
The wide receiver position fits the first group. This is a stacked and young position that includes a wily veteran, a top-15 draft pick who should be an early Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate and two players who are entering either their second or third year in the league with plenty of upside yet to be tapped.
We're going to take a look at all of Miami's wide receivers on the depth chart, from the players mentioned above to the guys fighting for a roster position.
Nigel King
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Nigel King is an undrafted free agent out of Kansas, and there's plenty to like about him.
He has excellent size for a receiver at 6'3", 210 pounds. He can catch the ball well away from his body (as evidenced by the picture above) and has good concentration when bringing the ball down.
He went undrafted due to his lack of speed and athleticism. He's not an explosive runner, which will mean he has difficulty gaining separation.
His name hasn't come up too often during OTAs, which is not a good sign for his prospects so far.
Christion Jones
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Alabama's Christion Jones is an intriguing player to watch, but not for what he might do as a receiver.
If Jones were to make the roster, it would be as a return man, replacing Jarvis Landry (who should remain at wide receiver full-time).
Jones has the speed to do it. At Alabama, he returned 68 kickoffs in his career for 1,727 yards and two touchdowns, as well as 66 punt returns for 719 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged 25.4 yards per kickoff return and 10.9 yards per punt return.
As a wide receiver, don't expect much out of him. Despite his speed, he's not strong, and at 5'10", 182 pounds he's not big either.
Miami is already testing him out as a return man, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
LaRon Byrd
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Back in April, the Dolphins signed former Miami Hurricane LaRon Byrd, giving him a shot at reinvigorating his career.
Byrd was on Miami's practice squad at the end of last season, and so far in OTAs he has made a few good catches, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
It will be a tough road ahead for Byrd, since he has already bounced around from team to team in his short NFL career. Staying healthy should be the key, as injuries have been his main problem.
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Tyler McDonald
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Tyler Johnson is No. 15 in this picture, and so far through OTAs he hasn't really made a lot of noise.
The New England Patriots signed him last season but cut him prior to the end of training camp. After the 2014 season, the Dolphins signed him to a futures contract.
The 6'3", 190-pound receiver will have his work cut out for him in training camp.
Michael Preston
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The Dolphins signed Michael Preston to a futures contract after the 2014 season, finding someone with NFL experience.
In fact, Preston had a cup of coffee with the Tennessee Titans in last year's preseason and impressed Titans wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson enough for him to say this after last season's OTAs, per Lauren Moore of the Tennessean:
"He is my jack of all trades. He knows all the positions. I can plug him in anywhere, he hustles, blocks, and is a great teammate.
He has a great chance, but there is a lot of competition at this position. Right now, I'm not making any predictions, but as a coach I can't live without him. That's how much he means to me as a player and a person.
"
Despite those kind words, the Titans still released Preston prior to the start of the season, and he wouldn't play in the NFL in 2014.
He is the type of versatile receiver the Dolphins, but with the depth at the position, he has a long road ahead to make the final roster.
Matt Hazel
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We've now ventured to the part of the article detailing the wide receivers who should get a lot of playing time in 2015.
Second-year player Matt Hazel didn't make much of an impact in 2014, spending most of the season on the practice squad and not playing in any regular-season contests.
He participated in rookie camp and did well this year, per James Walker of ESPN.com. He should contend for the final wide receiver spot with Rishard Matthews.
Rishard Matthews
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The last two offseasons have seen a lot of buzz around Rishard Matthews, who has shown flashes in games but can't seem to get out of head coach Joe Philbin's doghouse.
For his career he has 64 catches for 734 yards and four touchdowns despite playing a limited number of snaps.
Right now he's penciled in as the fifth receiver, but there are legitimate questions over what the Dolphins want to do with him. Twice this offseason he has asked for a trade or to be released, even threatening to boycott Miami's offseason program.
He has since participated in said workouts, and his spot as the fifth wide receiver is almost a guarantee, but one wonders if even an average preseason by him will doom his roster spot, especially if any of the receivers behind him show flashes.
Kenny Stills
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Somehow, a player with Kenny Stills' talent and the amount that he has already accomplished in the NFL makes him the third most exciting young receiver on Miami's roster.
He comes in with 95 catches for 1,572 yards and eight touchdowns in his first two seasons. He's also only 23 years old, which is how old Jarvis Landry will be come November, and only nine months older than rookie DeVante Parker.
There's a lot to be excited about with Stills, who will replace Mike Wallace as Miami's primary deep threat. Stills had the better Pro Football Focus grade (Stills: 5.2. Wallace: minus-0.9) and seems more willing to track down the ball than Wallace was.
Jarvis Landry
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Jarvis Landry impressed in his rookie season, which saw him shoot past Brian Hartline and Brandon Gibson up the depth chart.
He finished with 84 catches for 758 yards and five touchdowns, which made him Miami's leading wide receiver in terms of catches. He was targeted only three times less than Mike Wallace despite only starting 11 games to Wallace's 16.
Landry has impressed Dolphins fans the most due to his humble and hardworking off-the-field demeanor, which was rather unfairly compared to the other receivers on the team in 2014.
This season each receiver on the team seems to have Landry's same demeanor, which has fans excited about the team. Add in the talent and you have a likable corps of receivers who can produce.
DeVante Parker
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No player offensive player on the Miami Dolphins has drawn better reviews than DeVante Parker.
He had the hardest assignment, as he was covered by Pro Bowler Brent Grimes.
Parker has won his fair share of battles against Grimes in what should be one of the best battles this training camp. Going against a savvy Pro Bowl veteran like Grimes can only make Parker a better player in the long term, while going up against Parker will only help Grimes this season when he's taking on bigger receivers.
Last week after OTAs, Ryan Tannehill praised Parker on MiamiDolphins.com:
"DeVante was great today. We’ve been seeing (it) for the past few weeks just working on air, but today against the defense you got to see him make some tough catches with defenders on his back in traffic, and that’s what you want to see. You’ve got a guy with a big body who’s able to make strong catches with his hands in traffic. That’s when you’re able to cut it loose.
"
Expect big things from Parker in 2015, even though at this point, he's not even Miami's No. 1 receiver (but he will be).
Greg Jennings
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Miami's receivers are young, and with Mike Wallace, Brandon Gibson and Brian Hartline shipped out, some experience was necessary.
The Dolphins signed Greg Jennings from Minnesota, and he brings with him nine years, 552 catches, 8,083 yards, 63 touchdowns, five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl ring. His experience should help guide not only the receivers but the entire offense in 2015.
Statistics provided by Pro Football Focus unless otherwise noted.
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