Jahan Dotson Ends a Long Penn State Drought at the NFL Draft

Dotson is the Nittany Lions' first receiver drafted in the first round since 2003.

Penn State hasn't produced a lot of first-round NFL Draft picks at wide receiver in its history. Jahan Dotson just became the Lions' first in 19 years.

The Washington Commanders selected Dotson with the 16th pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, making him the first Penn State receiver since Bryant Johnson in 2003 to be drafted in the first round. In addition, for the first time under head coach James Franklin, Penn State has produced first-round picks in consecutive drafts.

Dotson became the 24th Penn State receiver of the modern era selected in the first round. Yet only four of them were first-round picks. Dotson joined Johnson, O.J. McDuffie (1993) and Kenny Jackson (1984). Jackson is Penn State's highest-drafted receiver, going to Philadelphia at No. 4 overall.

COMING SOON TO AN END ZONE NEAR YOU#HTTC | @MGMNatlHarbor pic.twitter.com/I9PGHlKs0R

— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) April 29, 2022

Washington head coach Ron Rivera said his staff rated Dotson highly among the top receivers available in the draft, adding that he's a "true fit" for the team's offense. Rivera also compared Dotson to DeSean Jackson and Steve Smith as a receiver who is "a little bit smaller in stature but he plays bigger than that."

"We do expect to put him on the field an awful lot," as a rookie, Rivera said.

General manager Martin Mayhew added that Dotson "brings a lot to the table" through his "tremendous" ball skills, his position flexibility at receiver and his skill at returning punts. 

Franklin has a strong history of coaching receivers, notably Donald Driver, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews, Jordy Nelson, Chris Godwin and KJ Hamler. He called Dotson the most natural receiver among them.

"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," Penn State coach James Franklin said on a recent episode of the Rich Eisen Show. "He just catches the ball effortlessly. And it really doesn't matter where: over the middle, on the perimeter, he just has got fantastic natural hands.”

Dotson last season became just the second Penn State receiver (with Allen Robinson) to reach the 90-catch milestone. He caught 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns and set the program's single-game yardage record (242) against Maryland.

An AP third-team All-American in 2021, Dotson finished his Penn State career second in receptions (183) and tied for second in receiving touchdowns (25). He ranks second in career 100-yard receiving games (11) and fourth in receiving yards (2,757).

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said that Dotson has the best hands among any receiver in the draft, which Dotson demonstrated at Penn State the past four seasons.

"He really attacks the football," Jeremiah said on a recent conference call. "He's got outstanding ability to adjust. He can catch it back hip, above the rim. You name it, he can do it. So he's a really intriguing player to me."

Dotson also doesn't lack confidence, having recently said that he believes he's the best receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft.

"When I get the ball in my hands, it's exciting," Dotson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "I'm an explosive player. Very fast. I can take the top off a defense. I'm just ready to make the most of my opportunity wherever I land."

Dotson became Penn State's fourth first-round pick in Franklin's tenure as head coach.  The others were Saquon Barkley in 2017 and Micah Parsons and Odafe Oweh in 2021.

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