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Jaylen Waddle

Denver Broncos·#17
Pos WRHt 5'10"Wt 182 lbExp 5 yrCollege Alabama
Updated September 21, 2026

Model Score

84.0 MODEL
2021
76.6
2022
87.2
2023
84.5
2024
80.2
2025
84.0

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

Season Stats · 1 games

1
Rec
2
Rec Yds
0
Rec TD
3
Targets
2.0
Yds/Gm
1.2
Fantasy PPG

Advanced Metrics EPA & Next Gen Stats

-1.011
EPA / target
0.0 yd
Avg separation
0.0 yd
Avg cushion
0.0
YAC over exp
0.0%
Catch %

Draft & College

Round 1, pick 6 · Miami Dolphins · 2021
Alabama (SEC)
Taken
#6
where he actually went
Consensus board
8th
average of the public big boards that spring
Our college model
#75
among WR in our college data

He went about where consensus had him.

In college · 2018-2020 · 33 games
102 rec, 1,882 yds, 13 TD, 18.5 yds/rec

Covers the college seasons in our data, which does not always reach back to a player's first year.

Comps

College career
his college career vs theirs

STM Take

Waddle's climb back to STTM #11 tier 2 in 2025 (from #46 tier 6 in 2024) restores the 2023 baseline. The career arc has been jagged (tier 4 → tier 2 → tier 6 → tier 2) but the underlying speed-and-separation profile has not regressed. The Denver move for 2026 puts him with Bo Nix in a system designed for vertical receivers.

Waddle was born in Houston, attended Episcopal in Bellaire, and was the 2019 SEC Special Teams Player of the Year at Alabama plus a CFP national champion in 2020. The Dolphins took him sixth overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Career line is 373 catches for 5,039 yards and 26 receiving TDs across five seasons. He signed with the Denver Broncos for 2026.

Strengths

  • 35-rank improvement from 2024 to 2025; the largest WR rebound in the top tier this year.
  • Career 373 catches for 5,039 yards through five seasons; the per-game volume is one of the highest in the field at age 27.

Concerns

  • Career line is volatile: two tier-2 finishes, one tier-4, one tier-6; the floor is real.
  • Denver move resets the QB ecosystem; Tua's career stats are not Bo Nix's, and the system fit is unproven.

What to watch: Whether Bo Nix's 2026 passing volume rises with Waddle in the deep slot; the system marriage is the entire bullish case.

Fantasy Outlook

Jaylen Waddle scored 1 PPR points, 1.2 per game this season. Compare him against any WR and track weekly rankings in our fantasy tools.

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