Draft Analysis: Jahan Dotson

January 6, 2022 /
  • Height: 5’11”
  • Weight: 184 lbs
  • College: Penn State
  • Tape watched: Auburn, Ohio State, Michigan, Ohio State 2020, Maryland 2020
  • NFL Comparison: Amon-Ra St. Brown

Pros

  • Fluidity
    Everything Jahan Dotson does on a football field is fluid. His release, his routes, his ball skills. He has a nice stride to his run as well. This should be his main selling point for a first round selection. His release in press coverage is extremely valuable.
The footwork and jab step here display how smooth Dotson is as a receiver. Very 2019 Van Jefferson-esque.
  • Catch Radius
    For a smaller receiver, Dotson has no trouble finding the ball over his head, or on the sidelines. He has a great leaping ability on high passes especially.
  • Versatility
    Playing the majority of snaps on the perimeter, Dotson should have no trouble moving to the slot in the NFL where I think he projects the best. Having experience on the outside allows coordinators and his position coach more freedom on what he learns and how he can use it.
  • Route Running
    Great deception, smooth cuts, and good explosion out of breaks allows Dotson to disappear under safeties. Often times his route takes him off the screen, and he somehow ends up on the other side of the field with the ball. Deep routes are a struggle for Dotson to separate and stack defenders, though.
Dotson does a good job of keeping physical cornerback Shaun Wade off of him through this route. If he gets back on his line and stacks wade on his hip this catch is much easier on him.

Midline

Hands
Dotson shows incredible ball skills on every type of pass. However, Jahan Dotson tends to use his body often on throws, especially over the middle of the field. Double catches show up quite a bit as well. All of this could be non-issues however, as only one drop was witnessed in five game films observed. When the ball comes to Dotson, he almost always comes down with it.

Separation
Dotson struggles to separate on deep routes. It doesn’t seem like there is an extra gear for Dotson to open up in space. He creates most of his separation underneath on route cuts and his quick release off the ball.

Cons

  • RAC
    Dotson goes down almost exclusively on first contact. He rarely wins the fight for extra yards and takes some big hits over the middle of the field.
  • Speed
    Mentioned with separation, it will be seen if Dotson can be a deep threat in the NFL. There weren’t many times Dotson ran by college cornerbacks on deep routes. A lot of his deep receptions were blown coverages, due to his route running or miscommunications in the defense, or contested catches.

Overview

Jahan Dotson looks to profile as a dependable slot receiver that can get the ball quick in space with reliable hands. He is excellent in short to intermediate routes, with a great first step off the line of scrimmage and explosive route breaks. While he doesn’t possess game changing speed, he does run extremely fluid and has great body control in the air and on the sideline. A situation with a rebuilding team with a lot of targets available is the best landing spot for Dotson, and may come in the early second round.