The Miami Dolphins’ plans to dominate the league through a relentless barrage of top-100 picks continued in the 2021 NFL Draft. They picked five times in the first 81 picks, before tossing a couple of seventh-rounders in there. Their rapid build into a powerhouse continues and rests on Tua Tagovailoa’s young shoulders. The Miami Dolphins ended up taking three fantasy football-eligible players in the 2021 NFL Draft. What can we expect from Jaylen Waddle, Hunter Long, and Gerrid Doaks for 2021 fantasy football?
FULL MIAMI DOLPHINS DRAFT RESULTS
| Rd | Pick | NFL team | Player | Pos. | College |
| 1 | 6 | Miami Dolphins | Jaylen Waddle | WR | Alabama |
| 1 | 18 | Miami Dolphins | Jaelan Phillips | DE | Miami (FL) |
| 2 | 36 | Miami Dolphins | Jevon Holland | S | Oregon |
| 2 | 42 | Miami Dolphins | Liam Eichenberg | OT | Notre Dame |
| 3 | 81 | Miami Dolphins | Hunter Long | TE | Boston College |
| 7 | 231 | Miami Dolphins | Larnel Coleman | OT | UMass |
| 7 | 244 | Miami Dolphins | Gerrid Doaks | RB | Cincinnati |
Round 1, Pick 6 Overall: Jaylen Waddle, Wide Receiver, Alabama (5’10” 182 pounds)
Depth Chart:
WR1: Will Fuller
WR2: DeVante Parker
WR3: Jaylen Waddle
WR4: Lynn Bowden Jr.
WR5: Preston Williams
TALENT
I am going to take the laziest way out when coming to describe Jaylen Waddle, a consensus top-three wide receiver in the 2021 NFL Draft. He is a poor man’s Tyreek Hill. He is an absolute burner and does enough to find space in zones, but one-on-one, he struggles. Waddle doesn’t have the chops or size to bully opposing corners at the NFL level, though he does have the ability to get up and go get the football should the need arise. He’s also already the best separator on the Miami Dolphins roster. Tua Tagovailoa had trouble throwing to non-open receivers last season, and Waddle should get the opportunity to work with reckless abandon in the intermediate-to-deep range in the Dolphins’ passing game.
2021 OPPORTUNITY
It’s only a matter of time before he busts out from behind Will Fuller and DeVante Parker as the team’s best wide receiver. Will Fuller cannot stay healthy (and he will serve a PED suspension week one for the one time he stayed healthy), and DeVante Parker just… isn’t all that good. He’s a quality NFL receiver but he’s had one year of over 800 receiving yards. Waddle feels a lot like the guy who has the best shot of replicating the A.J. Brown rookie year: start slow, then end completely on fire. The Miami Dolphins’ WR room just needs to shake itself out first, and then Waddle can shine.
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Jaylen Waddle is a draft-and-stash in all formats. On Fantasy Football Calculator, Waddle has a thirteenth-round draft price, the same as Rodrigo Blankenship and the Miami D/ST. However, in a recent CBS Sports mock draft, Jamey Eisenberg took him in the eighth round. I have a hard time disagreeing with Jamey on that price point. Get Waddle onto your roster; he may start slow but should he and Tua Tagovailoa end up on the same page, he has league-winning upside.
TALENT
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2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Round 3, Pick 81 Overall: Hunter Long, Tight End, Boston College (6’5” 254 pounds)
Depth Chart:
TE1: Mike Gesicki
TE2: Hunter Long
TE3: Durham Smythe
TE4: Adam Shaheen
TALENT
I didn’t really “get” Hunter Long until watching his tape against Duke. Prior to that game, I watched UNC pop out ball after ball against him. He is a good route runner, who is technically sound but unnatural blocking. Long also plays smaller than his size at times, getting bullied endlessly by UNC. However, Long is a good route runner, with enough athleticism and good speed to get him open. An inconsistent guy who carries a ton of good traits and who drops the ball? Sounds like Hunter Long is Vance McDonald, to me. He isn’t a guy who jumps off the page but feels like he will have a good, long career.
2021 OPPORTUNITY
The Miami Dolphins have about five or six different guys ahead of him in the target pecking order. His TE2 placement is precarious, anyway. Durham Smythe could easily outsnap him since he actually plays big enough to matter in the blocking game. To be honest, he feels like a Mike Gesicki replacement once they let Gesicki walk after his contract expires following this season.
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
He’s a rookie tight end! What do you expect?!
TALENT
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2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
Round 7, Pick 244 Overall: Gerrid Doaks, Running Back, Cincinnati (6’0” 230 pounds)
Depth Chart:
RB1: Myles Gaskin
RB2: Malcolm Brown
RB3: Salvon Ahmed
RB4: Gerrid Doaks
RB5: Patrick Laird
TALENT
I really like Gerrid Doaks! I’m not sure why more people aren’t talking about him. He’s smart, with good vision, and he looks the part running the football. Doaks also inspires great confidence with both speed and power, and enough agility to make it work. He shines at the second level, weaving through traffic and angling his rushes to give the blockers time to plow the road. He fumbled way too much in the games I watched, but it was mostly read-option exchanges. Receptions are a question mark, as he played with a mobile QB so dumpoffs were few and far between. Ultimately, he’s a fast, powerful, and decisive runner and one I am surprised I haven’t heard more about in the predraft process. Doaks likely fell in the draft due to injury concerns and age (redshirt senior), but the tape is a lot of fun.
2021 OPPORTUNITY
It will take a little bit of work for Doaks to work his way out from under Salvon Ahmed, but I think Malcolm Brown maintains his RB2 role for most of the year. Ahmed played well enough last year in limited opportunities, notching at least 70 yards in all three games he had with double-digit touches. But, as we saw last year, this whole running back room can turn messy in a quick hurry.
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
I think Doaks has some decent sleeper appeal at running back. Probably because it doesn’t take a whole lot to be labeled as a sleeper at running back. You need some athleticism (check), an insecure situation ahead of you (check), and more buzz than a beehive (check). All of that fits Gerrid Doaks for 2021. He could end up on the short side of a platoon, and then it’s one awkwardly falling defensive lineman away from being a weekly fantasy football starter. Doaks is a draft-and-stash in deeper leagues, and a guy to keep an eye on in shallower leagues. He could easily be this year’s hidden breakout running back.
TALENT
2021 OPPORTUNITY
2021 FANTASY FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
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