Purely by the numbers, it’s easy to see why McDaniel fell in love with the tape of the nation’s receptions leader. We’ll explore that, and more, in the fast facts on new Dolphins wide receiver, Malik Washington:
- Over the century mark in receptions
Nobody in college football hauled in more passes than the 110 secured by Malik Washington last season. His 1,426 receiving yards finished behind only Washington’s Rome Odunze (the ninth pick in the draft), Malik Nabers (the sixth pick in the draft) and UNLV’s Ricky White (projected first-round pick in 2025).
In fact, we need two bullet points of fast facts dedicated to the numbers Washington posted in 2023.
The counting stats are terrific, but it’s the advanced metrics that fully showcases Washington’s impact on the Cavaliers offense last fall.
Washington’s 35 missed tackles forced were the most among wide receivers in 2023. Only Odunze and Nabers had more receptions on deep passes (20+ air yards) in their careers from this class (27 career). Washington caught 11 out of 17 contested throws and that 67 percent contested catch rate was eighth in the nation. Finally, his 2.7 percent drop rate was fifth among receivers with at least 50 pass targets.
Washington scored on receptions from long throws, screens behind the line of scrimmage, on routes in which he was wide open and on plays where he had to run through tacklers. His 2023 season was a special campaign and projects a skill set translatable to the NFL.
- The critics agree, Washington is a hit
The 2024 wide receiver class was compared to some of the greats, which seems to be a trend recently. The 2021 crop produced a handful of stars, including Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, and the classes that have followed haven’t been far behind.
This trend pushes some skilled, accomplished receivers into the third day (rounds 4-7). Receivers like Washington, who don’t just have the stats but the tape to follow, have been…
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