HOUDTON – One of the most dynamic Houston-area high school starts in recent memory made an instant impact in the NFL. Months after the Miami Dolphins drafted wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, 6th overall out of Alabama, Waddle set an NFL record. His 104 catches in his 2021 rookie season are more than any other receiver all-time.
“At the time it didn’t really sink in,” Waddle said in an exclusive interview with KPRC 2 Sports Reporter Ari Alexander. “Now that I look at, being in the NFL and seeing how hard and how competitive it is, it’s definitely a huge accomplishment.”
Waddle’s 104 catches came in an offense that prioritized underneath passing and didn’t have consistent ability to air out the ball with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. In 2022, the Dolphins revamped their team, adding new coach Mike McDaniel, an offensive guru and a true number one wide receiver in Tyreek Hill to line up across from Waddle. With Hill in the mix, Waddle’s targets got deeper and the 2nd year receiver led the NFL in yards per reception with 18.1. That number his rookie year was 9.8.
“Mike came in and really harped on YAC (yards after catch),” said Waddle. “Having a guy like Cheetah (Hill), who’s a YAC monster, you don’t have a choice but to learn from him.”
Waddle now has back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving season, putting up 1,015 in 2021, and 1,356 in 2022. His total this previous season was good for 7th in the NFL. Last month at a camp in Pearland hosted by Hill, the Dolphins’ star receiver praised his teammate.
“To me, Jaylen is an All-Pro or Pro Bowler,” said Tyreek Hill. Waddle feels like he needs to become more consistent to earn that praise.
“It just takes me being consistent,” said Waddle. “We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of good things with the ball and at the end of the day it’s all about winning.”
Waddle is spending much of his summer in Florida, but came back for a few days to work with his longtime trainer Delfonte Diamond, who has coached him up since Waddle was in high school.
“He’s always been a freak of nature,” said Diamond. “The way he moves in and out of cuts is unreal.”
Waddle hopes his offseason work in the Texas temperature pays off for the 2023 season.
“There’s nothing like that Texas heat,” said Waddle.
