If there was ever any doubt before, it seems to be all but a certainty now - the Miami Dolphins are targeting an addition at the wide receiver position in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft, ostensibly to aid in the continued development of franchise quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
According to a report from Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the Dolphins brass are targeting West Virginia's Kevin White and Alabama's Amari Cooper, widely viewed as the top two pass-catching targets available in late April, but should both White and Cooper be gone by the 14th selection, the team will then move onto the next tier of available wideouts, specifically Central Florida's Breshad Perriman and Louisville's DeVante Parker.
The Dolphins and GM Dennis Hickey - and possibly Mike Tannenbaum, it's hard to tell whose calling the shots from a football standpoint in the Miami front office these days - are fortunate to enter this draft with a need at the wide receiver position as it's quite possibly the deepest group in the entire seven-round NFL rookie meat market.
White and Cooper are elite talents - White because of his size and skillset and the projection of his abilities at the next level, Cooper because of his smarts, consistency, crisp route running and already veteran-like savvy.
The pair are likely to go in the top-10, so barring a trade up it seems the Dolphins won't have much of a chance to nab either, but luckily for Miami there doesn't seem to be a big drop off in terms of talent to Perriman and Parker.
Perriman, who the Dolphins are hosting for a pre-draft visit this week, per Jackson, ran a 4.25 40 at UCF's Pro Day last week, turning a number of NFL scouts head's and creating quite a buzz around his name. Perriman averaged 20.9 yards per reception last season for the Knights, nabbing 50 receptions for 1,044 yards and nine touchdowns.
Vaunted NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock told Jackson that the Dolphins taking Perriman at No. 14 would be "completely justified" at this point.
Parker, 6-foot-3, 209-pounds, is a guy who "does his best work when the ball is in the air," according to NFL.com's Lance Zierlein's draft profile. He has soft hands and elite concentration, per Zierlein, and plays with "outstanding body control."
He lacks power just as Perriman lacks polish, but like his UCF counterpart he posted consistently jaw-dropping yards-per-catch figures at Louisville.
He finished last season for the Cardinals with 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns despite missing the early portion of the year with an injury.
