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Jahan Dotson NFL Draft Profile
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Jahan Dotson Scouting ReportJahan Dotson shows very good athletic ability with very good explosiveness, body control, and foot quickness. In addition, he displays very good route running ability. He shows a good understanding of leverage and route tempo. He is excellent in and out of breaks using violent hips to create separation. Moreover, Dotson is sudden off the LOS and knows how to use his feet and hands on releases. He has slot and outside versatility while making an impact at all three levels. Furthermore, he excels at adjusting to poorly thrown balls, catching them all over his frame. He has great in air athleticism, which leads to acrobatic plays with his strong hands and large catch radius. Jahan is undersized and has adequate play strength. He can struggle when bigger DB’s get hands on him to create separation. Thirdly, the lack of play strength can lead to him being tackled too easily. He displays adequate blocking ability. Lastly, he relies on his athleticism to win on routes too often. |
Areas for ImprovementDotson’s big leap in 2020 is the best indication of his potential as a receiver and there’s little question he has the route-running abilities and ball skills to be a strong contributor, but I’m not certain I see a high volume ceiling to his game and Dotson will likely be best in a complementary role on an NFL depth chart. Some NFL teams will be turned off by his stature and look to forecast him inside—and admittedly, between his lack of functional strength and his toughness in traffic, that role would suit him well. Dotson thrived at times with ball adjustments in 2020 but his overall catch radius appears to only be average. When he’s forced to catch away from his frame, there are instances of double-catching the football, inviting defenders to swipe clear and break up the play. Traditional offensive philosophies will likely pigeonhole Dotson as a special teamer (punt return duties are on his resume) and a slot-only, which puts a firm glass ceiling over his projection unless a team absolutely falls in love this upcoming year. |
Jahan Dotson Career at Penn StateAs a true freshman at Penn State in 2018, Dotson appeared in eight games and made four starts, recording 13 receptions for 203 yards. As a sophomore in 2019, he started all 13 games and had 27 receptions for 488 yards and five touchdowns. Dotson became Penn State's number one receiver his junior year in 2020. On October 31, he had a breakout game in Penn State's primetime loss to Ohio State. Dotson went for 8 catches, 144 yards, and 3 touchdowns against All-American cornerback Shaun Wade, including a one-handed catch over Wade. On December 12, Dotson became the third Big Ten player since 2000 to have a punt return touchdown and 100 receiving yards in the same game. The next week, he had touchdowns of 75 yards, 70 yards, and a punt return of 50 yards in Penn State's win over Illinois. Dotson was named third team All-Big Ten Offense in 2020, totaling 884 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. On January 7th, 2021, Dotson announced he would return to Penn State for the 2021 season |
Jahan Dotson NFL Draft Player ProfileJahan Dotson projects to be a good starting Z/Slot receiver at the next level. He wins with his precise route running ability, explosiveness, and adjustments to inaccurate passes. In addition, he does a good job attacking leverage and manipulating DB’s in his route stem. He lacks play strength and size to consistently beat big and athletic DB’s. In conclusion, he brings value to a team in the return game. |
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