The Dolphins went into the 2026 NFL Draft knowing they had to remake their receiver group after Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle left South Florida. Miami used three picks on wideouts, and the first name off the board for the new regime was Caleb Douglas, the 6-foot-3, 206-pound Texas Tech product who drew some raised eyebrows when Jon-Eric Sullivan took him where he did.
Nine training camp practices later, Douglas is starting to look like a much louder bet. He has been productive, he has been noticeable, and the early chatter around him has shifted from skepticism to real intrigue. For a rookie trying to carve out a role in a rebuilt room, that matters.
Sullivan, Miami’s new general manager, addressed the buzz Monday morning during an appearance on 104.3 WQAM with Joe Rose. He made it clear why Douglas was a target in the draft in the first place.
“Caleb has a lot of natural gifts. That’s what attracted us to him during the draft process… He’s tall.
He’s long. He can run.
The thing that he can do from a tall, long athlete is he can bend. He can get in and out of breaks.
He’s got extremely quick feet… He’s honing his craft. He’s getting better every day.
He’s learning that this is the National Football League, not the Big 12… Some of the hard lessons he’s learned early on, he’s starting to reap the benefits of that. That’s what you’re seeing.”
That’s the kind of progression Miami needs from a rookie receiver, especially with the offense looking for new faces to take on bigger jobs. If Douglas keeps trending the way he has through camp, the Dolphins may have found a player who helps speed up the retooling process more than anyone expected.
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