ASHBURN, Va. — The decision was an easy one: A young Jahan Dotson liked catching the ball a lot more than he enjoyed pushups. His cousin would toss Dotson footballs at a local park, forcing him to make diving catches. A dropped ball equaled 10 pushups.
“I got tired of that real quick,” said Dotson, a first-round pick by the Washington Commanders in the 2022 NFL draft. “So, catching the ball is something that I will do.”
Even if it means hauling in a pass like a rebound in basketball, or reaching up high to snag one with two hands, or extending far to the inside for a throw. All of which the rookie receiver has shown in training camp and during a stellar college career at Penn State.
It’s why Dotson wasn’t easily impressed while watching and discussing some of his college highlights in the spring at Washington’s practice facility. The Commanders loved Dotson for many reasons, including savvy route running and a mature approach, but some of those catches at Penn State revealed another reason he stood out. He played bigger than his listed height of 5-foot-11.
“Not to sound cocky, but I do it so often and I practice that all the time because you never know when it comes up,” Dotson said.
The New Orleans Saints traded up with Washington to select receiver Chris Olave at No. 11 overall, and Dotson, at No. 16, was the fifth of six wideouts picked in the first round. Though he is the shortest of the six, his hands (9.5 inches) are bigger than two of the receivers selected above him and his 36-inch vertical leap was matched only by Garrett Wilson (No. 10, New York Jets) among first-round receivers at the scouting combine — measurements that help explain why Dotson plays bigger than his size.
Five plays from his Penn State career help explain why the Commanders are…
Source : espn
