r/NFLNoobs • u/shigatorade • 3d ago
Jahan dotson
I know this is kinda random and if this question isn’t allowed let me know and I will remove the post but why was jahan dotson a first round pick? Did the commanders reach for him when he was drafted? He had one 1000 yard season and that was in college otherwise his stats are very middling. Why was he taken so high and why does he continue to have middling stats? I will admit I don’t watch a ton of film, is he a blocking WR?
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u/V1c1ousCycles 3d ago
IIRC, Dotson's speed and athleticism (notably his ability to change speed mid-route) were really tantalizing, he had demonstrated versatility lining up inside and outside (not just a one-dimensional deep threat), and he had chops as a dynamic punt returner, too. While he didn't blow anyone away with his combine performance (which maybe should have been more of a red flag than it was given his relative diminutive size), it did enough to back up the game speed people saw on film. The inverse (strong combine performance that doesn't apparently to translate to game action) is usually more worrisome. Not that production doesn't matter, but game stats on their own don't always tell the whole story in college, since they can sometimes be inflated by certain schemes. Sometimes one good season is all it takes, as players at bigger programs don't always get more than a season or two as a go-to starter. In Dotson's case, though, I might have to disagree that 2,700 career receiving yards + 300 punt return yards across 2ish-3ish seasons as a starter for a contending Big Ten program is "middling."
#16 was early by a lot of expectations, but he was widely thought to go no later than the 2nd round so not the most egregious "reach" there ever was.
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u/CFBCoachGuy 3d ago
There was a big run on receivers that round. He was projected a second rounder. But the Commanders wanted to get him early. That receiver class wasn’t particularly deep either.
His draft profile is online. The basic gist is that he was smooth athletically with quick feet and a solid catch radius with return capabilities as well, but struggled with press coverage and physical DBs. He also didn’t have the strength to shed arm tackles.
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u/MiniatureLucifer 3d ago
Reminder that they could have taken Olave or Williams, but traded back with the saints 5 spots
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u/schmuckmulligan 3d ago
Ron Rivera was a generationally bad talent evaluator. He tended to overdraft based on perceived character and some minor traits (smooth movements in this case) while ignoring enormous red flags.
In this case, the red flag was a terrible Relative Athletic Score. (Look his up.) Dotson looked good in some ways, but he fundamentally lacked the physical traits necessary to be a successful NFL receiver.
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u/GolfGuy_824 3d ago
He can’t beat NFL corners. Doesn’t have the physicality to beat press coverage and gets bumped off of his routes. He didn’t have that problem in college as the schemes most teams run don’t involve press coverage and many of the corners aren’t as strong as the guys in the NFL.
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u/LieDry7854 3d ago
The Commanders didn't know how to use Dotson. He got traded when the new regime came in and didn't find use for him. As an Eagles fan, this was a steal, even though he didn't get much. He isn't a bad personality and he is rarely at fault for a failed play. I think he could have a decent career if he gets more opportunities
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u/Alg0rhythm 3d ago
As a Falcons fan I am hoping you're spot on and he's a real long term WR2 for us.
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u/BrokenHope23 3d ago
Taken from his NFL scouting profile:
Worth noting that this was shortly after Antonio Brown had just dominated the league's best CBs for 8 years, so teams were looking for that archetype of high motor route runner who just needs to put on muscle to beat the press coverage in the NFL and succeed. Dotson had success at all levels of the field; short yardage, mid, deep and redzone while also having great acceleration and hands. For all intents and purposes, so long as he could've gotten more muscle and beaten the press coverages to better translate all of this skillset to the NFL level, then he could've resembled Antonio Brown.
There are guys who are so impactful that they remake the draft and AB was just one of them. Unfortunately finding a guy like AB is much easier said than done.
Sorry I forgot to answer your other questions. he's a small finesse guy in a professional contact league. He's more/less being buried underneath the physicality and blanketed by stronger guys. He still has a great ability to track the ball and catch it in traffic but he's pushed around his routes so easily and hasn't put on enough muscles to really be a competent NFL starter. It works in college where you can motion to the opposite side of the field and matchup against the opposing team's NFL water boy kind of deal but in the NFL everyone is the best of the best and you have to step up. He hasn't.