Malik Washington
American football player (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Malik Washington (born January 4, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Northwestern Wildcats and Virginia Cavaliers.
Return specialist
Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S.
| No. 6 – Miami Dolphins | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positions | Wide receiver Return specialist | ||||||||||||||||||
| Roster status | Active | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 4, 2001 Lawrenceville, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||
| High school | Parkview (Lilburn, Georgia) | ||||||||||||||||||
| College | Northwestern (2019–2022) Virginia (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2024: 6th round, 184th overall pick | ||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 2025 | |||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||
Early life
Washington was born in Lawrenceville, Georgia[citation needed] and attended Parkview High School, where he hauled in 130 receptions for 1,958 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also rushing for 687 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also played quarterback, completing 17 of 27 pass attempts for 149 yards and four touchdowns with one interception. On defense, Washington tallied 117 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss, nine pass deflections, eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries, and a forced fumble.[1] He committed to play college football at Northwestern University over other programs such as Michigan State and Tennessee.[2]
College career
Northwestern
As a freshman in 2019, Washington had six receptions for 25 yards.[3] In the COVID shortened 2020 season, he brought in five passes for 51 yards, while also rushing for eight yards.[4] In week seven of the 2021 season, Washington hauled in five receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown in a win over Rutgers.[5] In week three of the 2022 season, he notched four receptions for 76 yards and a touchdown in a 31-24 loss to Southern Illinois.[6] Washington totaled 65 receptions for 694 yards and a touchdown, while also adding 16 yards on the ground,[7] earning third-team all-Big Ten Conference from Pro Football Focus.[8] After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal.[9]
Virginia
Washington transferred to the University of Virginia to continue his collegiate career.[10] In week two of the 2023 season, versus James Madison, he brought in five passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, and in week three against Maryland he notched nine receptions for 141 yards.[11] In week four, Washington had a career performance, totaling ten catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns, but the Cavaliers would fall to NC State.[12] He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) wide receiver of the week.[13] Washington finished the season with 110 receptions for 1,426 yards, both single season records for the Cavaliers,[14] and nine touchdowns.[15] His 110 receptions led the nation.[16]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1.74 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 30+3⁄8 in (0.77 m) | 9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m) | 4.47 s | 1.53 s | 2.61 s | 4.26 s | 6.87 s | 42.5 in (1.08 m) | 10 ft 6 in (3.20 m) | 19 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[17][18] | ||||||||||||
Washington was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round (184th overall) of the 2024 NFL draft.[19] He made 14 appearances (three starts) for the Dolphins during his rookie campaign, recording 26 receptions for 223 yards.
Washington began the 2025 season as one of Miami's auxiliary receivers, as well as the team's primary punt returner. In Week 2 against the New England Patriots, Washington returned a Bryce Baringer punt 74 yards for a touchdown, the first of his career.[20]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | Punt returns | Kick returns | Fumbles | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Fum | Lost | |||
| 2024 | MIA | 14 | 3 | 26 | 223 | 8.6 | 20 | 0 | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 18 | 1 | 18 | 134 | 7.4 | 19 | 0 | 14 | 430 | 30.7 | 67 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 2025 | MIA | 17 | 6 | 46 | 317 | 6.9 | 28 | 3 | 17 | 110 | 6.5 | 18 | 1 | 20 | 260 | 13.0 | 74 | 1 | 36 | 965 | 26.8 | 47 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Career | 31 | 9 | 72 | 540 | 7.5 | 28 | 3 | 22 | 135 | 6.1 | 18 | 2 | 38 | 394 | 10.4 | 74 | 1 | 50 | 1395 | 27.9 | 67 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||