Malik Washington – MIA
The case for Malik Washington making a jump/taking the next step this season is largely due to what happened to the Dolphins roster this past offseason. With a new Front Officeled by GM Jon Eric-Sullivan and Coaching Staff ran by HC Jeff Hafley you saw a tremendous amount of turnover with the receiver room being no exception. With veterans and tent pole players like Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle being cut and traded there was an obvious lack of stardom in the room but the Dolphins went even further by letting rotational/depth players such as Cedrick Wilson and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine leave in FA as well. This left the Dolphins receiver room bereft of not only high end playmakers but also quality role players leaving them with a rag tag group that they truly didn’t add much to, outside of a couple draft picks (3rd Round Picks Caleb Douglas, Texas Tech and Chris Bell, Louisville) and lower end free agent signings (Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert). This leaves a huge opportunity for guys like Washington who are hold overs from the previous regime but still talented and largely scheme considering the Dolphins hire at Offensive Coordinator, Bobby Slowik, who will run a similar offense to former HC Mike McDaniel. Where Washington separates himself from others on this team for me is his versatility.
Despite his size Washington is capable of moving around the formation into different alignments (preferably a slot or Y) and even adds versatility as a gadget style receiver that can get touches in the run game on sweeps/orbit screens. Washington is also one of the safest pairs of hands on the team in my opinion which showed up on tape and in the stats last season as he went from 26 to 46 receptions with his Drop Percentage decreasing from 7.1% to 2.1% from his rookie to his sophomore season last year. The only pause I have for Washington is how unsure I am of how much Bobby Slowik will be willing to run 11 personnel to get Washington on the field as Miami looks to be building towards heavier personnel looks with their roster construction. But you add all of this together and throw on top he’s impressed in the spring for a new coaching staff and I think you could see Washington take a real step and solidify himself as a capable Top 3-4 Wide Receiver on a quality team.
Last Seasons Stats
- 46 Rec 317 Yds 3 TDs
- 17 Carries 110 Yds 1 TD (Rushing)
Projection
- 60+ Rec 550-650 Yds 5-7 TDs
- 15-20 Carries 100-150 Yds 1-3 TDs
Dallas Turner – MIN
As a Packers fan the idea of this jump absolutely scares me but as a football fan I can’t help but be excited for what is to come for Dallas Turner in a Brian Flores coached Defense. With the loss of Jonathan Greenard due to Minnesota having to clear up some cap issues this past offseason the opportunity for Turner couldn’t be more welcomed from the Vikings.
If you go back and watch last season you’ll actually see quite a bit of Dallas Turner in this very defense wreaking havoc. With Greenard and others dealing with injuries throughout the season Turner was forced into a much larger role as he jumped from only playing 28% of the snaps (300) in his rookie season to 66% (702) in 2025. This jump in snaps led to a Sophomore season where Turner led the Vikings in Sacks with 9 along with having 6 QB Hits and 27 Hurries. While that was a huge jump in both snaps and production I believe Turner has a huge jump to make this year when it comes to consistency as a pass rusher.
Turner was a piece that Flores used largely as an athlete to run sacks and action to as he could wreck plays with said athleticism. While that is a special tool for Flores to utilize in big moments I want to see Turner take that step as a true pass rush winner, more like Jonathan Greenard. When you look at stats and snap counts you see Turner appeared in 5 more games, played 143 more snaps, and in that time wracked up 5 more sacks which in the surface looks great but the fact of the matter is when Minnesota needed pure pass rush they relied on Greenard.
Despite playing in the formerly mentioned less time Greenard only had 10 less pass rush snaps and while he had a down year as far as sack production goes he showed up just as much if not more consistently than Turner which is where I need him to take that next step. Turner needs to prove down in and down out he’s one of the best athletes on the field and be the guy Minnesota focuses their front seven around.
Last Season Stats
- 9 Sacks 6 QB Hits 42 Pressures
Projection
- 8-12 Sacks 15+ QB Hits 60+ Pressures (Pressure rate at 16% or higher)
(All stats for this Dallas Turner section are from PFF)
AD Mitchell – NYJ
AD Mitchell is a classic example of a receiver that’s impossible to quit and well… I certainly can’t quit on him this year. Unlike most athletically gifted but raw receivers Mitchell has actually made steady improvements year after year in his career and that’s where I’ll make my first point. The biggest thing that has held Mitchell back so far throughout his career in my eyes is the inconsistencies with his hands. In 2024 where he started to become a true rotational receiver in Indy he had a 7.3% drop percentage on 74 targets and consistently made mental mistakes on the field but last year he improved his drop percentage to only a 2.7% on 71 targets.
Despite having to play with arguably the leagues worst QB situation last season after being traded to the Jets, Mitchell consistently flashed on film and even became a player the Jets built their passing game around with Garrett Wilson out with injury. But that gets back to a big reason why I believe Mitchell will take that next step this upcoming season. With the additions the Jets made to their WR and TE rooms this offseason in both Free Agency and the Draft Mitchell is finally going to have a defined starting role on a team. In Indy he never got a chance to be anything more than a depth/rotational receiver as he had to fight for snaps with players that had established roles such as Josh Downs, Michael Pittman Jr, and even more hindering than the rest Alec Pierce who ate up all of the vertical X snaps that Mitchell desperately needed. When he got to the Jets last season the opportunity to get on the field but that was about it. The QB situation and supporting cast around him largely left him the only true threat on the field for the Jets outside of Breece Hall which will change this year. This year with Garrett Wilson coming back healthy, two quality TEs in Mason Taylor and newly added rookie Kenyon Sadiq, and a competent veteran at QB in Geno Smith Mitchell should have the ability to have not only opportunity but a defined role where he’s not the only threat on the field for an explosive.
You pair Mitchell’s ability to separate vertically and win jump/contested balls with Geno’s aggression and willingness to push the ball down the field and I think Mitchell will finally not only get consist looks as a vertical X but pay them off as well.
Last Season Stats
- 33 Rec 453 Yds 2 TDs
Projection
- 50+ Rec 650-750 Yds 4-6 TDs
Kevin Winston Jr – TEN
This breakout isn’t so much about opportunity increase or some surprising change but rather I just flat out believe in Kevin Winston Jr, especially with him now playing in a Robert Saleh coached defense. In this defense they ask guys to read, react, and be aggressive or in other words… see ball get ball. That couldn’t fit Winston more perfectly. Winston Jr is a heat seeking missile at the Safety position and what’s most impressive about him is how he doesn’t miss tackles. Winston Jr is going to play closer to the line of scrimmage and absolutely wreak havoc in and around the backfield for Saleh and I feel very confident he’ll become a fan favorite sooner rather than later. Now there’s no certainty in this as Winston Jr still has injury history and largely wasn’t able to overcome it throughout his rookie year. Where I do feel hopeful about the injury side of things is within the fact he’s officially over a year removed from surgery and should be at point where his knee isn’t really a thought. Overall I would expect Saleh to use Winston Jr similar to how he has used guys like Malik Mustapha and Talanoa Hufanga in San Francisco. Big physical Safeties that fly around the field and play fast physical football and can matchup up with Running Backs and Tight Ends depending on body type.
Last Season Stats
- 34 Tackles 4 TFLs 1 Sack 2 PBUs 0 INTs
Projection
- 50+ Tackles 5-10 TFLs 3-5 Sacks 5 PBUs + INTs
Javon Bullard – GB
Javon Bullard has steadily risen into a better and better player throughout his career so far and I don’t see him stopping any time soon. Bullard shined in his snaps as a Nickel last season as he showcased his versatility and physicality that he plays with. Providing Green Bay with not only a guy that is comfortable manning up against a multitude of bodies and archetypes in the slot but also being a psycho in run defense allowed them to role coverages around Bullard and count on him to flex into everything from a weak side LB or a post Safety. Don’t get me wrong Bullard is best when he’s in and around the box as Nickel but he provides versatility on the back end despite not being the cleanest player moving backwards in zone. What really popped to me from Bullard’s film was the attitude and chip he played with that consistently provided the rest of the Green Bay defense with energy and an edge when they needed it most, in short I saw him develop into a leader/heartbeat of the Defense more and more as the year went on. Where I expect Bullard to take that next step isn’t so much with stats or a larger role but rather just improving upon and taking on the new challenges within new DC Jonathan Gannon’s Defense, which will be a lot as the NFL continues to focus more and more on the Nickel position.
Last Season Stats
- 83 Tackles 2 TFLs 3 PBUs
Projected
- Similar stats – Focusing on continuing to establish himself as a star Slot in this league with more consistent dominant play.
