Next Steps on Jahan Dotson’s Path to Getting Paid

Following a Breakout 2020, Penn State’s Top Pass Catcher Can’t Hide Under The Radar Now That He’s the Focal Point of an Offense Known for Piling Up Points and Video-Game Statistics

Love to say ‘We Told You So’…so WE TOLD YOU SO!

As the last drops of Penn State’s 2020 season circled the drain vs. Illinois, a swarm of Keyboard Kiper’s – many of them Friends of the Blog — stormed Twitter to say goodbye to Nittany Lions WR Jahan Dotson following his 6-reception, 189-yard, 2-touchdown cap to a 52-reception, 884-yard, 8-touchdown campaign. To them, Dotson was as good as gone. So long Penn State. Hello, paycheck football. 

Because we’re not popular enough to make enemies (God, it’s gonna be SWEET once we are, though. Sitting there in a big, oversized chair petting an evil cat like the faceless bad guy from Inspector Gadget), we won’t screenshot those Tweets.

Instead, we’ll have our DD take the high road and repost our rum-fueled response to those Tweets from DISPENSING THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS: ILLINOIS POSTGAME

I’ll gladly die alone on my ‘Jahan Dotson needs to stay’ hill if necessary, dang it. What’s the rush? Why leave an advantageous situation (returning QB, returning OC) to become a 3rd or 4th Round NFL Draft pick and find yourself locked in a terrible (comparatively) less-than-a-million-dollars-a-year contract for 4 seasons? …If Dotson builds off what he did in 2020, I don’t think it’s inconceivable No. 5 sneaks in the end of the 1st Round.

Specifically addressing the last part of that rummy rant, what drove us bonkers about those suggesting Dotson bolt for the NFL early was the implied notion that he couldn’t get better/improve his draft stock, and that his monstrous 2020 statline might be tough to replicate, let alone surpass. So just go now, they reasoned. Thankfully, Dotson realized such logic made no sense. So he bet on himself and chose to stay another year – one of a handful of draft-eligible Penn State players who collectively 180’d the troubling trend of Lions (Garrett Sickels, Kevin Givens, Shareef Miller, Ryan Bates) so eager to escape they left well before their initial-contract earning potential fully ripened.

The day after Dotson formally announced his decision to come back to college, Penn State conveniently replaced offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca with Tee-It-High-And-Let-It-Fly Mike Yurcich – a move Dotson HAD to know was coming even though the announcement timeline doesn’t sync, right? Anyway, the switch perfectly positions Dotson to be Yurcich’s “James Washington” this upcoming season. 

Hey, don’t laugh. 

Yes, former Oklahoma State WR James Washington posted three 1,000-yard seasons in college, scored 39 career touchdowns, was a unanimous All-American his senior season and won the 2017 Biletnikoff Award. We’re not saying Dotson is gonna do all that…but he’s capable of BEING James Washington for 12 games. 

Again, stop laughing. 

To us, the most underrated aspect of Dotson’s game is his overall athleticism. Some experts have questioned whether Penn State’s receiving corps provides Yurcich a guy capable of popping the top off a defense…you know, a guy like James Washington.  Um, yeah, that’s Dotson. Keep in mind, the “speedy” James Washington ran a 4.54 40-Yard Dash at the 2018 NFL Combine, good for 23rd out 37 receivers tested. No offense, James, but we think Dotson is faster than 4.54…in fact, we think Dotson is faster than former Penn State wideout K.J. Hamler. Yeah, we said it. 

Other than Hamler’s 2018 TD vs. Ohio State, we can’t recall the current Denver Broncos receiver ever out-running defenders for a long distance score – not post-catch, we mean. Dotson did that twice in one game last season:

Admittedly, Dotson appears slower than Hamler because his running style is smoother/less violent and spastic, thus creating a bit of an optical illusion. Another reason Dotson might not look like a burner on TV has a lot to do with Ciarrocca’s restrictor-plate offense. Fortunately, there were just enough moments from 2020 – like this long TD vs. Iowa where Dotson showcases an impressive second-gear to blow by the Hawkeyes’ safeties – to feel confident in No. 5’s ability to stretch the field and thrive in Yurcich’s vertical scheme. 

According to PFF, Dotson graded out as the No. 41 overall receiver in college football last season – 4th best in the Big Ten behind Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson and Minnesota’s Rashod Bateman. Unlike those 3 standouts, however, Dotson flourished after the catch. In fact, 375 of Dotson’s 884 total yards (42.4 percent) came with the ball in his hands. Olave, Wilson, and Bateman all failed to reach 200 YAC. As much as Yurcich’s offense likes to chuck it deep, it also likes to challenge defenses horizontally with quick passes to the sideline behind the LOS, meaning Dotson should have ample opportunities to make guys miss in space – again another strong aspect of his overall game that often gets overlooked. 

It’s hard to gauge a player’s route-running ability on TV, and unfortunately the only 2020 All-22 Penn State film we’ve found so far in the dark, undesirable corners of the Internet is of the Michigan win – a conservatively called game on offense where Dotson didn’t surpass 30 yards receiving.  Despite having a limited sample size to analyze, Dotson stood out on a couple routes. In particular, watch the first play of this montage. Notice how quickly Dotson closes the gap on Michigan 5-star safety Dax Hill and creates more than a yard of separation after the cut. Also, the second play, a double-move slant on 3rd down in the 4th Quarter is nice, too. 

Between now and next season, Dotson MUST improve his overall strength – gainz that will benefit him in a couple areas, namely 50/50 balls and blocking. No doubt Dotson’s two acrobatic catches over Ohio State’s Shaun Wade were incredible grabs, iconic even. But numbers don’t lie…and according to PFF Dotson only hauled in 5 of 17 targets deeper than 20+ yards. Now, obviously, not all those were catchable passes. But a few (as you’ll see) literally slipped through his hands. 

When it comes to Dotson’s blocking, well…if we’re trying to put a positive spin on things, let’s just say he’s got a fantastic opportunity to improve.  Of the 40 receivers PFF graded higher overall than Dotson, only 4 scored lower in the blocking metric.