Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle has 179 receptions for 2,371 yards and 14 touchdowns since entering the NFL from Alabama as the sixth pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Only three other players in NFL history have reached that set of numbers in their first two seasons.

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“To me, Jaylen is an All-Pro Pro Bowler,” Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill told Aaron Wilson of KPRC-TV in Houston on Saturday, “but I feel like he doesn’t get the validation that he needs because, obviously, you can’t have two fast guys on the same team doing the same thing.

“Jaylen is a dope player, obviously. He’s even doper in person. I think the way that I connect with Jaylen is off the field. I look at him like a younger brother, a guy who, obviously, wants to compete every day, and he just reminds me of myself each and every day. He’s very competitive, very feisty, and he doesn’t back down from no challenges.”

Waddle set an NFL rookie record for receptions in 2021 and led the league in yards per catch in 2022. But he hasn’t earned all-star recognition yet, despite Hill’s opinion.

Hill has been a Pro Bowler seven times – every season of his NFL career. The former West Alabama standout also has been a first-team All-Pro four times, including 2022, when, in his first season with Miami, he set a franchise record with 1,710 receiving yards.

“Jaylen is obviously a younger player who looks up to me,” Hill said, “so any way that I can help him out, show him how I kind of did it, show him kind of how I impacted the community and how I try to build up things that I’m trying to do in my life is very important to me.

“Having him out here is huge.”

Waddle joined Hill at the Tyreek Hill Football and Speed Camp on Saturday in Pearland, Texas, near the younger wide receiver’s hometown of Houston.

Speed is the word for the Dolphins’ offense this season with Hill and Waddle leading the way.

“I think it’s something that defenses got to be careful of when you got a lot of guys that can stretch the field vertically,” Waddle said. “I believe defenses have got to respect it, so that just opens up so much other stuff.”

In Mike McDaniel’s first season as Miami’s head coach, the Dolphins gained the sixth-most yards in the NFL in 2022. Hill figures the Miami attack still has room to rise.

“We got one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the NFL – and I’m sticking to my stance on that,” Hill said. “Having Tua (Tagovailoa) at quarterback and just having the offensive guru that we have in our head coach is wonderful. Having those weapons at his disposal, he’s going to go crazy, man, because he can have me and Waddle on one side, (running backs) De’Von (Achane) and Raheem (Mostert) on the other side. You forgot about (wide receivers) Braxton (Berrios) and Ced (Wilson Jr.). You’re throwing to those guys like that who can get open any time they want to. The sky’s the limit for this offense.”

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Miami is in the final portion of its offseason program, when teams are allowed to conduct 10 days of organized team practice activity, usually referred to as OTAs. The Dolphins held their first three OTA practices last week and will be back on the field on Tuesday. No contact work is permitted during these practices, but teams can expand their offseason workouts to include 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills.

A mandatory minicamp also can be held during this period, which Miami has scheduled for June 6-8.

“I think we’re going in the right direction,” Waddle said. “I think we put it all together in the offseason and trust one another and we should be all right. …

“We’re just trying to stack it up day-by-day. Build and really create the foundation we want to set for the season.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.