Now that we've taken out the quarterbacks and the running backs, we're going to go on ahead (finally) and start analyzing a position that Dolphins fans originally thought was a true strength and then revealed itself as a major weakness - the wide receiver position. Mike WallaceMuch maligned, or highly praised; those are the two usual viewpoints regarding the man who is arguably the best wide receiver on the team...he's certainly paid like he is at least. But putting salary aside just for a brief moment, let's consider exactly what it is that Wallace brings to the table as a wide receiver. Brian HartlineHow easy it is to turn on someone after he puts together two straight 1,000 receiving yard seasons. When Ryan Tannehill started off in 2012, it quickly became apparent who his favorite target was, and that was the "deceptively fast" Brian Hartline. The thing is though, Hartline isn't particularly fast. What he is good at is running his routes. Brandon GibsonGibson is a bit of a mixed bag. When he signed his 3-year / $9,780,000 contract back in 2013, there was a certain amount of skepticism involved. On the one hand, Gibson was a rather obscure name in the league and - while talented to be sure - it was an unknown exactly what people should have been expecting from him. In 2013, Gibson got off to a bit of a slow start as he transitioned to being a slot receiver, as Wallace and Hartline had already solidified the two boundary positions. Eventually however, he got into the swing of things and he became one of Tannehill's preferred targets and was on his way to being one of the team's core players. Jarvis LandryI won't spend too much time talking about Landry since it is incredibly obvious that this young man will be a Dolphin next year, and he will likely be one for many, many years to come. Before being drafted, we were told that Landry was too slow to be a truly effective receiver, and this was concluded by a bad 40-yard dash at the NFL combine where he ran a 4.77. Rishard MatthewsTough. That's the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Rishard Matthews, and that's a good thing to be in an NFL that has players dropping like flies because of hard tackles to players' knees and heads. Unfortunately for Matthews, tough is also the only thing that comes to mind when I think about him, and that's not enough. Matt HazelWhen the Dolphins drafted Matt Hazel in the sixth round, Dolphins fans were stunned by the move as it seemed to make no sense at the time. The team had already drafted Jarvis Landry, and the team had several wide receivers on the team already. Unfortunately, Hazel isn't that big, and he might be an injury risk because of his lack of bulk. In his preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys, Hazel took a big hit that left him rattled and subsequently left all of Sun Life Stadium up in arms that their young rookie had been floored so violently with no consequence...at least none that I can remember. Michael Preston and Tyler McDonaldTwo names that mean nothing to the Dolphins at the moment, but who knows? Maybe the team knows something that we don't. Let's take a quick look at the history of these two players.
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