Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle is a top 10 WR in the NFL already (top 30 ranked)
By Hunter Haas
Tier 2:
•Franchise Player At WR
-Justin Jefferson
-Stefon Diggs
-Cooper Kupp
-Ja’Marr Chase
-A.J. Brown
The next tier boasts five players I would build an entire offense around. Justin Jefferson and Cooper Kupp have shown the ability to win in a Sean McVay-type system. Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t missed a beat with his college teammate Joe Burrow, as the duo flexes the best on-field chemistry of any QB-WR pairing. A.J. Brown is a newcomer to this tier because of his breakout debut in Philly. He proved that a team can rely on him as the No. 1 option. Stefon Diggs’ resume speaks for itself.
Tier 3:
•Bonafide WR1
-Jaylen Waddle
-Terry McLaurin
-Tee Higgins
The margin between tiers 2 and 3 is razor-thin, and the margin between tiers 3 and 4 is even smaller. Keeping that in mind, here are the three players I labeled as bonafide WR1s. Terry McLaurin might be the best receiver in this group, but we may never know if he is stranded in D.C. without a competent quarterback his whole career. Tee Higgins is on Ja’Marr Chase’s heels for the top receiver spot in Cincy, but given how many teams Higgins would be a WR1 for… it would have felt wrong leaving him off the list. I will save my final Jaylen Waddle thoughts for the conclusion.
Tier 4:
•Fringe WR1
-DeVonta Smith
-CeeDee Lamb
-DK Metcalf
-Deebo Samuel
-Amon-Ra St. Brown
This group is full of players that will eventually be a WR1 in the NFL — if they aren’t already. My reason for lumping these guys together is: I see this upcoming season as the defining point of their trajectory in the league. Will Lamb, Metcalf, and Samuel take that next step to superstardom? Or will they remain on the fringe of greatness for the rest of their career? How about DeVonta Smith and Amon-Ra St. Brown? They are younger than their peers, but considering the way their respective teams are built for 2023… it lines up well for a boom in production.