Jaylen Waddle (born November 25, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

wide receiver for the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team p ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

and was drafted sixth overall by the Dolphins in the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 202 ...

High school career

Waddle attended Episcopal High School in

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area.. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 17,202. It is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West ...

. As a senior, he played in the

U.S. Army All-American Game The All-American Bowl is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is played between all-star teams representing the eastern and western United S ...

. He committed to the

University of Alabama The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and largest of the publi ...

to play college football. He made the selection on

National Signing Day National Signing Day has traditionally been the first day that a high school senior can sign a binding National Letter of Intent for a collegiate sport with a school that is a member of the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association ...

of 2018 and chose the Crimson Tide over

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

, TCU, and

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...

College career

2018

As a true freshman at Alabama in 2018, Waddle was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after recording 45 receptions for 848 yards and seven touchdowns. As a punt returner, he also returned 16 punts for 233 yards and a touchdown.

2019

Waddle returned to the Crimson Tide for his sophomore season in 2019. He recorded 33 receptions for 560 yards and scored six receiving touchdowns. He also returned a punt 77 yards for a touchdown against LSU and a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against Auburn. He was named first-team All-SEC as a return specialist and was named SEC Special Teams Player of the Year.

2020

On October 24, 2020, Waddle broke his right ankle when he was tackled while returning the opening kickoff in a game against

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. Waddle returned for the

National Championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

game against

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

. On January 14, 2021, Waddle announced that he would forgo his senior season and enter the

Statistics

Professional career

Waddle was drafted sixth overall in the

by the

, reuniting him with his college quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa Tuanigamanuolepola Tagovailoa ( ; born March 2, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he was the Offensive MVP of the 2018 College Foo ...

. On May 14, 2021, Waddle signed with the Dolphins on a $27.1 million deal.

2021

In his first NFL game on September 12, 2021, Waddle faced off against former Alabama teammate QB

Mac Jones Michael McCorkle "Mac" Jones (born September 5, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, where he set the NCAA season records for passer ...

and the New England Patriots. Waddle caught 4 of his 6 targets for 61 receiving yards, and also caught his first NFL receiving touchdown on a 3-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa in the 17–16 win against the New England Patriots. His first big breakthrough came in Week 12 against the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

, finishing with 137 receiving yards as the Dolphins won 33–10. Throughout the season, Waddle became known for his waddling celebrations after touchdowns, inspired by his last name. In his 16th game of the season, Waddle set the NFL rookie record for receptions in a season with 104, beating Anquan Boldin's old record of 101. Waddle finished his rookie season with 104 receptions for 1,015 yards and 7 total touchdowns.

2022

In a week 2 game against the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

, Waddle had a career high of 11 receptions, 171 yards, and 2 touchdowns to help the Dolphins comeback from a 35-14 4th quarter deficit. Eventually winning the game 42-38. In a week 16 game against the Green Bay Packers, he had an 84-yard receiving touchdown, setting the record for longest play during an NFL Christmas game. Waddle finished the season with 75 receptions, 1,356 receiving yards, 8 receiving touchdowns. The latter two figures set career highs. He also finished the season with 18.1 yards per catch which led the league.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio

Miami Dolphins bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Waddle, Jaylen Living people 1998 births 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American players of American football Alabama Crimson Tide football players All-American college football players American football wide receivers Miami Dolphins players Players of American football from Houston