The Miami Dolphins have a clear need at wide receiver, and a new mock draft sees the team trade up for a Jaylen Waddle replacement.
Following the blockbuster trade of Jaylen Waddle, the Miami Dolphins have a deep need at the pass catching position. Heading into the season with Jalen Tolbert and Tutu Atwell might be a bit too concerning, and the idea was to always bring in younger talent.
That said, a new mock draft from NFL.com's Chad Reuter has Miami trading up a few spots to land their potential Waddle replacement.
The Dolphins are in a unique position, as they are one of the few teams with two first-round picks. While they could easily go for Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson or USC's Makai Lemon with the No. 11 overall selection, Reuter has controversial defensive end Rueben Bain Jr. landing there.
With a strong rusher in Bain helping to start the defensive rebuild, the Dolphins then turn their sights on the wide receiver side of things.
Currently, Miami will pick at No. 30 overall, but Reuter believes they will trade up to No. 25 with the Chicago Bears, sending the No. 30 overall, a third-round, and a fifth-round to select Texas A&M's KC Concepcion.
"Miami sends the first- and third-round picks it received in the Jaylen Waddle trade (as well as a fifth-rounder) to Chicago in order to acquire the explosive after-the-catch playmaker needed with Waddle gone (along with the Bears' fourth-round pick). Newly signed quarterback Malik Willis can't move the offense without dynamic receivers," Rueter wrote.
Concepcion is a dynamic receiver who can stretch the field and be a deep field threat for Malik Willis. In his junior season at Texas A&M, the college prospect brought in 919 yards, nine touchdowns, and had a 15.1 yards per catch average.
Concepcion's nine touchdown catches also led the SEC.
Concepcion is six feet and 196 pounds, giving a bit more of a big body as opposed to the sheer speedsters that have been on the Dolphins roster over the past few seasons. He also has a red zone capability and contested ball awareness that would be a huge benefit to Willis.
The Dolphins need a player who can cause separation while also maintaining the ability to play jump ball for crucial touchdowns or first-down opportunities. One issue is that Concepcion will need to work on his speed in various running routes, but he would make perfect sense in Miami.
Miami may want to trade up to land him, but they could also see how the draft board shakes out and still be in the perfect spot to draft the receiver at No. 30 overall. Either way, he would be an excellent choice for the team's second first-round selection.