Miami Dolphins’ best draft sleeper pick: Malik Washington, WR, Virginia

The Dolphins are the NFL’s conceptual answer to the question, “What if they build the entire plane out of the black box?” Head coach Mike McDaniel wants speed on the field no matter what, and that’s what he got in Virginia receiver Malik Washington. McDaniel was really happy to get Washington with the 184th pick in the sixth round, to the point where he had been bugging general manager Chris Grier to make that selection for a while.

When you watch Washington’s tape, the excitement is easy to understand. The 5′ 8½”. 191-pound receiver ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the scouting combine, but he’s much faster on the field, especially the middle of the field, and especially after the catch. Washington led all receivers in the 2024 draft class with 710 yards after the catch, and now, McDaniel gets to envision Washington doing his thing with Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle burning opposing defenses with vertical routes. Opposing defenses won’t be quite as excited about all that.

“I think the way that they run their offense, the motions, the different ways they use people to get open and allow them to be themselves, allow them to work, I think that is very beneficial to me,” Washington said of his new team after he was selected. “Just getting a chance to find some underneath routes, find some ways to get open and let that YAC – a big piece of my game – and let that shine through.”