DAVIE, Fla. -- Entering the draft, most pundits felt the Miami Dolphins were set at wide receiver. The team has a trio of young, talented players at the position in Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills, who are all age 24 or younger.

However, that didn’t stop Dolphins vice president Mike Tannenbaum and general manager Chris Grier from being aggressive to trade up in the third round to select Rutgers receiver Leonte Carroo. He is a tough, physical receiver the Dolphins were very excited to get, despite not having a need for the position.

“This was a target player. With the coaching staff and the scouting staff, this was a player that we held in high regard,” Grier said. “We had him here on a [pre-draft] visit, so we spent a lot of time with this kid. And the opportunity to get someone that can contribute, we think right away.”

But where will Carroo find playing time? Barring injury, he will begin the offseason behind three solid receivers.

The most likely scenario is Carroo will push Stills in training camp. Stills recorded 27 receptions for 440 yards and three touchdowns last season. He had some good moments but must be more consistent in 2016. Drafting Carroo also could be important for 2017, because Stills will be an unrestricted free agent.

This move has some similarities to 2014 when the Dolphins drafted Landry in the second round. They had two starting receivers who were well paid already in place in Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline.

But Landry stayed focused his rookie year, made his name in the slot, and Miami was comfortable enough to release Hartline and Wallace the following year. Miami likes competition across the board and hopes Carroo also stays focused and productive as a rookie.

“I’m very excited,” Carroo said. “As a sophomore, I got to play against DeVante when he was at Louisville, and I got to see what type of great, physical receiver he is. I’m a huge fan of Jarvis Landry. The accomplishments he’s made in the past two seasons. ...watching him at LSU, it’s an honor to play against those guys.

“I’m going in to have the mindset that I’m going to be as hungry as can be and learn from those guys. But at the same time, I’m going in to compete and try to win a starting spot as well.”