Ranking Dolphins Top 25 Players: A Breakout Wide Receiver Candidate

The Miami Dolphins are entering a critical season in 2025. After missing the playoffs last season and not making any blockbuster moves this offseason, the team is under a lot of pressure to finally get over the hump in the playoffs.

With that in mind, it seems like an excellent time to rank the Dolphins’ top 25 players heading into the 2025 season. This list was voted on by site publisher Alain Poupart (@PoupartNFL), deputy editor Dante Collinelli (@DanteCollinelli) and contributor Jake Mendel (@JMendel94).

The rankings were compiled separately based on a points system. That system awarded 25 points to the first player in each writer’s top 25, 24 to the second player, 23 to the third player, and so on.

The only caveat to these rankings is that we decided not to include cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who is still expected to be traded before the start of the regular season.

Let’s start off with number 25 on our rankings.

Honorable Mentions

These are the players who received votes but didn’t quite make the cut: cornerback Storm Duck, running back Jaylen Wright and punter Ryan Stonehouse.

No. 25: Malik Washington, WR

Total Points: 7

Washington sneaks onto the back end of our list after he had a strong end to the 2025 season. He finished his rookie campaign with just 26 catches for 223 yards, but 22 of those catches came after Week 10.

The former sixth-round pick from Virginia was mostly used as a gadget player, getting reverses, screens, and other designed touches. He’s excellent with the ball in his hands, having good contact balance and creativity in the open field.

The question for Washington this season will be where he falls in the team’s pecking order on offense. He’s clearly talented enough to earn targets, but Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, De’Von Achane, Jonnu Smith, and perhaps Nick Westbrook-Ikhine might come first.

Where Washington likely will make the most consistent impact is as a kick and punt returner. He had 32 total returns last season, totaling 564 yards. His longest was a 67-yard kickoff return in Week 18 against the New York Jets.

Washington’s skill set is perfect for the return game, thanks to his aforementioned creativity and contact balance in the open field. He’ll likely have some competition from players like Dee Eskridge and Tahj Washington.

Assuming Washington wins that battle in camp, he should get plenty of opportunities to make an impact in the return game this season.

Plus, there’s always a chance he generates a few big plays on designed touches for the offense. Washington’s numbers weren’t overly impressive, but for a fifth-round pick, he’s ahead of schedule for finding a long-term role in the league.

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