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Jahan Dotson saw the field a little bit as a freshman and sophomore at Penn State, but during his junior and senior seasons, he made game-breaking play after game-breaking play for the Nittany Lions.
In his final season in Happy Valley, he led the team in receptions with 91 and had 1181 yards receiving. He was in the top-10 nationally with 12 receiving touchdowns on the season as well.
WR Jahan Dotson: Scouting Report
Dotson isn’t the biggest target in the world, standing at just 5-foot-11 and under 175 pounds, but he makes up for it with speed and raw athleticism. He has the talent to work on a short comeback route and has the speed to take the top off a defense when asked to. His hands are also stellar, catching virtually anything that’s tossed in his direction.
Though his smaller size does have some drawbacks. He’s not a particularly physical receiver, especially when a DB goes into press coverage, so that’s something he’s going to have to work on in the NFL. He’s pretty elusive in the open field, but relatively easy to bring down if a defender gets a hand on him.
Mock Draft landing spots
Mel Kiper/Todd McShay (ESPN): No. 23, Kansas City Chiefs
“I think the Chiefs will be in the trade-up business with these back-to-back picks, but since we’re not simulating such moves today, I’m setting Patrick Mahomes up with another speedy pass-catcher with excellent hands.”- McShay
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports): No. 29, Kansas City Chiefs
“They need to find a replacement for Tyreek Hill, and Dotson would give them a nice speed threat. Nobody is Hill, but Dotson can run.”
Vinnie Iyer (Sporting News): No. 28, Green Bay Packers
“The Packers should think about doubling up on wide receiver in the first round. London looks the part of an outside No. 1, while Dotson can be the speedy vertical threat for Rodgers to replace free-agent departure Marquez Valdes-Scantling.”
Chris Trapasso (CBS Sports): No. 34, Detroit Lions
Fantasy impact: Rookie year
The former All-American should be an NFL starter relatively early on in his career, if not right at the start of it. There will definitely be an adjustment period, as he gets used to playing against a physically stronger group of DBs who will likely try to press him far more than he was pressed in college.
Still, he’ll be a valuable asset early on, especially in the short passing game. That means he could be huge for PPR leagues as a rookie.
Fantasy impact: Career
As time goes on, Dotson will probably put on more muscle and become more comfortable running routes against press coverage. He’s going to have to figure out how to make contested catches on a more regular basis because he won’t just be running free away from NFL DBs all the time.
Still, if he’s able to boost that physicality and learn how to beat tight press coverage, he should be a WR1 or 2 for the majority of his time in the pros.