Miami Dolphins superstar receiver Tyreek Hill shared a major prediction for teammate Jaylen Waddle in the 2024 season.
“All Pro this year,” Hill said. “He’s taken his game to another level in the classroom. He’s taking it more serious. He’s moved to the back of the classroom with me and River [Cracraft]. He’s asking more questions, which is great. He’s eager to get better. He’s done a great job taking advice from coach Wes [Welker], coach [Danny Crossman].”
Hill clearly is happy that Waddle is putting in the effort to improve his game, and he thinks it’s going to pay off in a big way for the former first-round pick.
Waddle has been a consistent player for the Dolphins over his first three NFL seasons, finishing with over 1,000 receiving yards in each campaign. Last season, despite playing in just 14 games, Waddle caught 72 passes for 1,014 yards and four touchdowns.
His production last season nearly matched some of his rookie year numbers (from the 2021 season) when he had 1,015 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns across 16 games.
The addition of Hill has made Miami one of the better offenses in the NFL the last two seasons, but Waddle should still see his fair share of targets from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa this coming season and beyond.
Over the last two seasons, Waddle was targeted 117 times (in the 2022 season) and 104 times (in the 2023 season) across 31 games. He led the NFL in yards per reception (18.1) in the 2022 campaign.
Hill isn’t just high on Waddle, as he also praised the entire Dolphins receiving group ahead of the team’s Week 1 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“We have an interesting room,” Hill said. “We have one of the best entire groups in the NFL as far as explosive, as far as big play ability. We have exactly what we need to win games. Coach Wes does a great job.”
One player that won’t play in Week 1 is veteran Odell Beckham Jr., as he will begin the 2024 season on the PUP list. That should give Waddle more chances to show that he’s still the No. 2 option to Hill in the Dolphins’ passing game.
Waddle has yet to earn a Pro Bowl nod in his NFL career, so even getting that recognition would be huge for him in his fourth season. An All-Pro selection would only sweeten the deal.
It’s great to see that Hill thinks so highly of his running mate, as the Dolphins need both players to thrive if they want to make a run at a Super Bowl in the 2024 campaign.
