How former Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson will fit with the Washington Commanders
Penn State football had one former player taken in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft and that was wide receiver Jahan Dotson. Dotson finished his career as one of the best receivers in program history and turned that into being taken No. 16 overall by the Washington Commanders Thursday night.
His fit with Washington is clean and he should be able to contribute early on in his NFL career.
Dotson steps in right away as the second best wideout on the Commanders’ roster behind only Terry McLaurin. McLaurin will likely maintain that spot as long as he’s in Washington, but Dotson should be able to benefit from that in the short term. He will draw much less attention — and usually draw single coverage — something he didn’t get to see while at Penn State.
Stepping in as a No. 2 receiver will allow Dotson to adjust to the size and speed of the professional game. He isn’t going to get any stronger, but will need to learn to protect himself because of his slight frame and lack of physicality. That adaptation shouldn’t take long, in part because he’s so good at creating space between himself and defenders.
Dotson should immediately be able to create separation with the Commanders and find himself open at all three levels of the defense. McLaurin is a complete receiver who will draw the attention of the safety when going deep, opening up underneath options for Dotson, and will force safeties and linebackers to step up when he goes to the middle of the field.
That will leave Dotson with plenty of 1-on-1 situations, an area he thrived in when he — rarely — got them at Penn State.
The quarterback fit isn’t as clean for the newest Commander, with quarterback Carson Wentz having accuracy issues. However, Dotson’s large catch radius should allow him to haul passes in, even when Wentz is erratic. When the Washington quarterback at his best, Dotson will be the ideal target.
Wentz has a propensity for needing to see receivers open rather than throwing them open, and Dotson’s route running should make him an ideal target for the quarterback.
It was up in the air when the former Nittany Lion would go in the draft, but it seemed clear he would likely step in as the No. 2 option unless a team like Green Bay or potentially Kansas City took him. Now he’ll have an opportunity to go to a team where he isn’t the center of attention and should be able to thrive from the moment he steps on the field — as long as his quarterback can hit him when he’s open.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 12:02 AM.
