Penn State receiver Jahan Dotson selected 16th overall in NFL Draft
Penn State Nittany Lions receiver Jahan Dotson has been selected 16th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Washington Commanders.
He is the first Nittany Lion off the board and the fifth receiver taken in this year’s draft.
Ready to embark on the next stage of his football career, Dotson leaves behind a legacy as a Penn State standout.
Over 42 games in four seasons, Dotson was a fixture on the field for the Nittany Lions. Among the accomplishments to his name, Dotson notched 183 catches for 2,757 yards and 25 touchdowns. The numbers are good for second all-time in receptions and receiving touchdowns and fourth in receiving yards.
Dotson’s milestone markers were also consistent throughout his career at Penn State. With 11 games notching 100-or-more receiving yards, Dotson is second in school history. And, his 242 yards at Maryland last November are a single-game receiving record at Penn State.
Jahan Dotson’s path to the NFL
Dotson’s mark at Penn State almost didn’t come to fruition, though.
Having originally committed to play for UCLA, the Pennsylvania product needed time before eventually landing with Penn State. According to head coach James Franklin, who joined the Rich Eisen Show earlier this week, Dotson’s appeal was easily understood as a prospect.
“He was a high-level track athlete, was a high-level basketball athlete here in the state. And then, a really good football player,” Franklin said. “He’s just undersized. He was probably about 152 pounds when he showed up on campus.”
That is no longer the case.
Checking in at 5-foot-11, 178 pounds in Indianapolis for the NFL Combine last month, Dotson bulked up during his time at Penn State. Having the benefit of holding elite ball skills that have only progressed since his enrollment. Franklin talked about Dotson as being among the best he’s ever coached at receiver.
“He played for us as a true freshman and was undersized at the time. But, he just was so natural catching the ball,” Franklin said. “He’s got as good a ball skills that I’ve been around. And I’ve been fortunate. I was the receivers coach with the Green Bay Packers and I had Donald Driver, I coached Torrey Smith in college, I coached Jordan Matthews in college. At the time, was the all-time leading receiver in SEC history. I coached Jordy Nelson in college, he played for me at Kansas State, I had Chris Godwin. I could go on and on.
“I’ve had a bunch of wideouts, and he’s probably the most natural guy I’ve had in catching the ball, in terms of being able to contort his body. He just catches the ball effortlessly and it doesn’t matter where. Over the middle, on the perimeter, he just has got fantastic, natural hands.”
Set to take those skills to Washington, Franklin predicted bright things for Dotson.
Comparing his potential to that of Nelson, a Super Bowl champ, second-team All-Pro selection, and 11-year NFL veteran, Franklin said the same or more could await.
“Jahan is really on that level and even higher,” Franklin said. “He’s got a chance to be special.”
