Jaylen Waddle – April 27, 2022
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Wednesday, April 27, 2022
WR Jaylen Waddle
(Have you raced WR Tyreek Hill yet?) – “I knew that was going to be the first question. (laughter) We’ll race when all of y’all get out there and race. We’ve got to see who is the fastest out there.”
(Do you get a sense already that you can defeat him?) – “You can’t just race a cheetah straight up. You’ve got to sneak up on him.”
(Has WR Tyreek Hill had any tips or things that have rubbed off on you already here in the first phase of OTAs?) – “I think ‘Cheetah’ is one of those guys where, just him being around – he’s been here for four or five weeks and it’s not just him, but the whole group – it feels like years. He’s one of those guys.”
(Has there been any moments while WR Tyreek Hill is at practice that make you say damn?) – “When he’s moving, that boy’s sliding.”
(How much if at all have you and WR Tyreek Hill watched tape together? That would be interesting to watch. Both of you guys watching tape, him pointing out things to you that he does to be effective.) – “Yeah. We watch tape every day. Honestly, the whole group goes out there and pinpoints what everyone is doing well and how can we learn from each other.”
(Do you watch tape of WR Tyreek Hill with him?) – “Oh yeah, definitely. I watched enough Tyreek tape before he got here. (laughter)”
(Are there things, as you guys are watching together, that he points out to you that he does to a corner or something that’s helpful?) – “Oh, yeah. Most definitely.”
(How did you find out that the team is adding WR Tyreek Hill?) – “Probably the same as you guy. I was at workouts and got the news.”
(When you heard, what was your reaction?) – “I was excited. It’s always exciting to play with great players, especially a good guy. He’s more than just a great player.”
(Have you gotten an idea of how much between you, WR Tyreek Hill and WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. that you guys might we working outside versus slot?) – “We’re still in the learning process. We’re trying to get the formations and the basics of the offense down. That’s pretty much where we’ve been.”
(You did both last year, right? What are the differences you have to hone in on to excel at each?) – “It’s just different schemes, a different offense. How we line up, where we line up, spacing is going to be important. Just knowing the ins and outs of the offense is going to be important.”
(A couple of weeks back, you said that one thing you were thinking about with your rookie season was yards after the catch and you’ve got to get more YAC. Obviously WR Tyreek Hill is probably going to help out with that a lot. Did you look back at rookie season film and say maybe I could do this better or put myself in a better spot so that I get more YAC?) – “Yeah. I go back and look at all of the film last year and just try to improve my game – not just in YAC, but in different areas, knowledge of the game, identifying defenses faster, things like that. When you go back and look at it and you self-evaluate, that’s pretty much what I was doing all offseason.”
(What’s involved with getting more yards after catch? What do you have to do technically better in order to make that number go up?) – “I think honestly being yourself, trusting what you see and hitting it.”
(It’s very early. What do you already think you like about the offensive plan that Head Coach Mike McDaniel is putting together?) – “Like I said, it’s still early. We are just learning the basics so I can’t give you a full review of everything. But I like the system, I like the coaches. So it’s going to be great. I’m excited to learn more.”
(I know it was a few weeks ago but you were at your QB Tua Tagovailoa’s luau a few weeks ago. You got to get up on stage. Can you talk about what that was like for you, being able to support Tua then and being able to support him now?) – “It was a fun experience. I’ve never been to a luau before, so when Tua told me to come out, I had no idea I was going to be on stage or anything like that. It kind of surprised me but it was fun.”
(I was thinking that in 2022, you could expand upon the penguin celebration. WR Tyreek Hill has a lot in his bag. Were you thinking that you might expand upon your repertoire?) – “I don’t know yet. I haven’t even really been focused on the celebration. I don’t know. I’ll probably put something together.”
(On DT Christian Wilkins’ celebrations) – “No, Christian does too much. I’m not messing with Christian. I’d be tired doing what Christian is doing. (laughter)”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel and the assistant coaches when we spoke to them said the offense tries to cater to the talents of the players on the team. I know you guys are just learning the basics of it right now, but so far has it felt that way? Are you seeing that kind of theme over and over again?) – “Yeah. Honestly, I think it’s a different team, a different scheme. Obviously we’re going to work to what we’re good at. I think Coach McDaniel does a good job of putting players in positions to make plays. I trust that he’s going to do that throughout the year.”
(G/T Robert Hunt talked about the snap count – that he never really thought about the snap count before and how important it is to this offense. To a receiver, how important is it to get off quick on the snap count?) – “Most definitely. It’s always important. You always need to run off the ball. We definitely emphasize making everything look the same, so running off the ball is definitely something key. Our eyes are going to be on the ball anyways.”
(Have you seen anything different out of QB Tua Tagovailoa this offseason? Whether it be throwing it or personality-wise or leading the team or anything?) – “Tua’s been Tua. He’s been the same guy coming in, being consistent, being a leader. Being a great leader honestly.”
(I haven’t done all of the research on 40-yard times from pro days and the combine. But it’s possible that you and WR Tyreek Hill are the fastest wider receiver duo in NFL history. How do you think the speed of both of you guys could impact the game on Sundays?) – “Honestly, we all know that ‘Cheetah’ is fast and I’m known to be a speed guy. I think it’s just something that’s going to be helpful to open up different things in the offense. Just knowing they’ve got to respect the vertical threat.”
(Now that it’s draft time, how do you reflect how your life has changed since you participated in last year’s draft?) – “It’s an exciting time. I know a lot of college players, a lot of my former teammates are getting drafted this year, so it’s an exciting time. The year honestly went by fast. I was like, ‘Man, it’s been a year since I’ve been drafted.’ It goes by so fast but it’s an exciting time for all of the college players, really.”
(How will it feel to no longer be the rookie around these parts?) – “It’s going to be pretty regular. I had some good vets last year and this year. It’s going to be pretty normal.”
(Wide Receivers Coach Wes Welker – I’m so old that the first time I covered the Dolphins, he was a player.) – “Damn! (laughter)”
(What’s your impression of him and how is his approach?) – “I think his approach is different. Him being a receiver, he really set the standard of being a modern slot receiver. He really gives insight and he can really go into detail and really get into your head and know what it’s like to be out there. Wes has been great working not just with me but just how he coaches up the whole receiver room.”
(When the 49ers were here for the Super Bowl, we interviewed him a couple of days before the game. He told me that he would make WR Deebo Samuel get up early in the morning and they would run together. He hasn’t made you get up at 5am in the morning to run with him or anything right?) – “Nah, not yet. Hopefully that day doesn’t come though. (laughter)”
(Formula 1 is happening here next week. Do you know anything about the sport and are you planning on going to the race next week?) – “No, I don’t. But I will be there. It will be my first time going there. I heard it’s pretty fun. There are a couple of guys on the team that are pretty excited about it, so we’re going to go out there and check it out.”
(Who are the big Formula 1 fans on the team?) – “I know Tua (Tagovailoa) is going to be going. Byron Jones is super excited. Jevon Holland is going to go. That’s all I can think of right now. Everybody is pretty excited. There are going to be a lot of heads out there.”
(Have you exchanged any texts or messages with WR DeVante Parker since he was traded to New England? And what are your early impressions of what WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. can do on the field for you guys?) – “DeVante is the OG, honestly. There is nothing but love between me and him. He really helped me out coming in last year. Cedrick is a great guy coming in. He works hard. He’s just one of them guys. He’s a special player.”
(QB Tua Tagovailoa said that WR Cedrick Wilson Jr. is bigger than what he thought. He didn’t think he was a 6-2 guy, but he moves pretty well for that size.) – “Yeah, he’s moving. He’s definitely moving.”
(Has Head Coach Mike McDaniel said anything to you or in a group setting that sort of resonated with you that you think was interesting, or that has stuck with you already?) – “He just said that we’re going to be one of those teams that’s coached well. He’s got faith that he can get us to where we want to be.”
(They were asking Head Coach Mike McDaniel back when he first got hired what players he was excited to work with, and he was like ‘Waddle, Waddle, Waddle!’ How did that feel knowing he’s coming in and that he has really grand plans for you?) – “It’s great, honestly. But with this offense, there are going to be so many guys. He’s going to put the right guys in the right positions.”
(With the ultimate respect, you seem to be presenting a humble, humility approach. I’m not saying that’s bad. What role did your rookie season play in that? Why are you presenting yourself with humility?) – “That’s just how I’ve always been growing up. My mom taught me to always stay humble, never get too high and never get too low. That’s just how I was raised.”
(So what went into the decision to cut the hair off?) – “It’s hot, man. Do you see how hot it is out there? (laughter) It’s hot. Yeah, that was ultimately the decision. I just cut it off one day, for real.”
