Tyreek Hill still ranks highly in ESPN wide receivers list despite down year

Tyreek Hill comes in at #3, while Jaylen Waddle receives votes in latest ESPN rankings.

As we continue to examine ESPN’s list of the top-ten players at each position in the National Football League, we finally come to a position where the Miami Dolphins are well represented — wide receivers.

The Dolphins have two speedster receivers who are mentioned — one in the top-ten, while the other was mentioned in the “receiving votes” category (as was Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa).

Even after a down year, Tyreek Hill has the respect of NFL executives, coaches and scouts — clocking in at #3 on ESPN’s list. That means the 31-year-old receiver only dropped one spot from last year’s rankings where he came in at #2 on the list despite his monumental drop in production from 2023 to 2024 (840 yards less receiving and 7 less touchdowns).

Here is what an unnamed NFC executive had to say about Hill:

“He still impacts how you prepare for them so much due to his speed. He dictates so much. His speed hasn’t fallen off, despite the down year.”

A veteran AFC scout chimed in:

“Even if he’s lost a half-step, he’s still more explosive than everyone — power with raw speed. I do think defenses have made some adjustments to that (Miami) offense, letting him run around with window dressing and limiting big plays.”

Hill comes in just behind top ranking receiver Ja’Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals and Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Dolphins’ highly paid #2 receiver, Jaylen Waddle, was also mentioned in ESPN’s rankings — receiving votes while not cracking the top-ten. If you take those listed in that category in order, Waddle was ranked as the 25th best wide receiver in the NFL.

It’s no surprise that Miami’s wide receivers are well represented on ESPN’s top-ten list — as Miami’s offense has performed at its best when Hill and Waddle are both healthy and productive. If the Dolphins want to return to the offensive heights of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, they’ll need both speed demons contributing heavily in 2025.

For the entire list from ESPN, click here.