Dominance must be established when you’re an elite-level athlete.
Whether it’s strength or speed, there can only be one man on the mountain top per team, so challenges occur often.
That’s why Miami Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle expected Tyreek Hill to challenge him to a race before the six-time Pro Bowl player, who is nicknamed The Cheetah, actually did so at his introductory news conference last month.
“Wherever I go, The Cheetah has always got to prove he’s the fastest on the team,” Hill said. “I mean that.”
It’s not surprising to Waddle, who’s accustomed to racing his teammates, going back to his days at the University of Alabama, where he was a teammate to four receivers who will be first-round picks if/when John Metchie III is among this draft’s top 32 selections.
“I already knew this was coming,” Waddle told me during a sit down with the “I Am Athlete” podcast. “I was literally in the middle of a workout when my trainer said, ‘Ya’ll just got Tyreek Hill.’”
What was Waddle’s reaction to the transaction that stripped Miami of five draft picks over the next two years, but landed the Dolphins a superstar, a talent who is arguably the NFL’s biggest playmaking receiver for the past six seasons?
“I’m running around the gym, ‘OK then!’” Waddle said explaining his celebration, which he admitted was somewhat self-serving.
Waddle’s smart enough to know that Hill’s presence on the football field, his reputation as a playmaker who can take quick hitch and turn it into a length of the field touchdown, will feed him a steady diet of one-on-one coverage each game.
“The next day I said [to myself], ‘I know he’s going to try to race. Let me get on these legs real quick,’” Waddle said, referring to a leg workout. “I already know a race is going to come.”
But Waddle, who set an NFL record as a rookie receiver by catching 104 passes and turning them into 1,015 receiving yards and six touchdowns, doesn’t just want to race Hill.
He’s interested in learning from the run-after-catch specialist, who has carved out a potential Hall of Fame career in his first six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. Waddle is hoping that Hill takes him under his wing.
“Being my size, we’re not necessarily the same size, but we’re the same type of player. Same caliber of player,” Waddle said, referring to his run-after-catch skills he showcased at Alabama, which motivated the Dolphins to select him at No. 6 in the 2022 NFL draft.
Last year’s coaching staff turned Waddle into a slot receiver, primarily using him to move the chains, converting first downs by running quarterback-friendly option routes.
But the Dolphins have a new set of offensive coaches, led by first-year head coach Mike McDaniel, who view him differently. And with Hill and fellow newcomer Cedrick Wilson, who was used primarily as a slot receiver in Dallas, added to the team Waddle expects his role to change.
He hopes Hill can teach him some of the tricks of their trade, like how to read a cornerback’s stance and footwork and how to set up his routes.
“He’s going on his seventh year. He’s had tremendous success. I can learn a lot from him if he’s willing to teach it,” Waddle said of Hill, who has scored 67 NFL touchdowns. “I’m going to soak up all the game.”
And possibly snatch the reputation as the NFL’s fastest man.
Waddle said they’ll work on the particulars out of the race, including the distance and who all is participating. Waddle doesn’t want new tailback Raheem Mostert excluded, considering he’s been clocked at 23 mph in a game.
Maybe the race will conclude the Dolphins’ offseason program, which is beginning its second week, or open up training camp in August?
Maybe it’ll be for charity.
All of that is yet to be determined, and there’s time to work it out.
Waddle is game for whatever and excited to have a new running mate.
“He’s a furious competitor just like I am,” Hill said about Waddle, who was clocked running a 4.37 time on a 40-year-dash on a surgically repaired right ankle before last year’s draft. “Young guy who wants to compete, who loves the game, who just wants to get better. I’m excited to be part of that, and that’s going to fuel me to be better.”
