After finishing 10-6 and just missing out on the playoffs in 2020, the uber-talented Miami Dolphins head into 2021 with their sights set firmly on a playoff berth. In their third year with head coach Brian Flores, it's going to be a fun season as we get to watch Tua Tagovailoa and the rest of the team's talented young core progress as they compete with the Patriots and Bills for the top spot in the AFC East.

Miami is loaded on both sides of the ball, as they carry a skill position group that includes Tagovailoa, versatile back Myles Gaskin, and an amazing pass catching group with Will Fuller V, Devante Parker, Jaylen Waddle, and Mike Gesicki. While, on the defensive side of the ball, the Dolphins are arguably even more dynamic, as they retain much of the same group that led the NFL in takeaways in 2020, led by Xavien Howard the league's interception leader in 2018 (7) and 2020 (10).

For the Fins to take the leap from good to great, however, they'll need young players to take big steps forward in their development, and for lesser-known players to have breakout years. These kinds of X factors will be key for Miami to win big games when it matters most, which they were unable to do on a 4-3 stretch to end 2020. That stretch, which included a loss to the lowly Broncos, and a 56-26 drubbing at the hands of the divisional rival Bills in a pivotal Week 17 match to determine the Wild Card winners, would be unacceptable in 2021 for the Dolphins now that they've got a group with a season under their belt together.

The question still remains, though: who will be Miami's X factor? Who will elevate their game to the max when it matters most? Amidst the anxiety that always surrounds Will Fuller's health (not to mention his one-game suspension for PEDs), and the lack of a true WR2 for Miami last year, the answer is the Dolphins' 6th overall pick in this past year's draft, Jaylen Waddle.

Waddle, a shorter receiver at 5'9″, has game breaking speed and ability as a deep threat, as he ran a 4.37 40 yard dash. Also, though, much in the mold of Tyreek Hill and Antonio Brown, he has the ability to go up and win 50/50 balls simply because his ball skills and natural instinct for going and getting the football is among the best we've seen from an undersized receiver in a long time. A look at his NFL.com prospect profile shows almost no weaknesses.

His addition to the team will make it a nightmare for opposing defenses, especially in any games that Fuller is healthy as well. Those two could easily become two of the top 10 deep threats across the NFL.

Perhaps even more important than Waddle's talent as a player in a vacuum is what he'll bring as a compliment to Devante Parker and Mike Gesicki. The Dolphins didn't have a single 800+ yard receiver last year, and Parker likely would have reached that milestone easily had there been another weapon to stretch the field and let him do his bread-and-butter, which is using his quick feet and versatile route tree to win routes underneath.

The Dolphins defense is plenty capable of winning playoff games; the offense simply hasn't got that killer instinct yet. In order to do so, Jaylen Waddle's emergence and reliability will be imperative.