The 2022 NFL Draft takes place April 28-30 this year, emanating LIVE from Las Vegas, Nevada. As it stands, the Tennessee Titans have one first round draft pick. General manager Jon Robinson and head coach Mike Vrabel currently hold the 26th overall selection. Over the next few months, your boy “Big Natural” Stoney Keeley will be taking a look at some of the prospects who are either rumored to be tied to or who make sense for the Titans. Today, we’re lookin’ at Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson.
Alright, y’all finally got me. Dotson has been mocked to the Titans so damn much that I finally had to give in and watch the guy so that I could have an informed opinion on him. He seems like an incredibly polarizing guy on Titans Twitter from what I’ve seen. I was disappointed to see him bow out of the Senior Bowl back in February because he was one of the prospects I was eager to watch, and I just haven’t made the time to sit down and dig into his stuff since. I do know that chief among the Titans needs this offseason is play-maker, and that seems to be the general consensus on what Dotson is.
Dotson had an accomplished career at Penn State, earning First-team All-Big Ten honors in 2021, and Third-team All-Big Ten honors in 2020. He had a prolific season in 2021, finishing with 91 catches for 1,182 yards, and 12 touchdowns. Dotson leaves Penn State 2nd in career receptions and career touchdowns, and 4th in career receiving yards. He’s definitely made quite the impact on State College.
I’m a bad news first kind of guy, so let me start with the things that I worry about translating to the NFL. If we’re specifically talking about the Titans, they like their receivers to be physical guys and willing blockers. Dotson is 5’11” 178 pounds, and I didn’t see a whole lot of blocking in general throughout the games that I watched. There is an element of physicality that is glaringly absent from his game. I also worry about how he’ll stack up against NFL corners in 1:1 press situations. At Penn State, he was great when given a cushion, but didn’t create a whole lot of separation in those 1:1 situations and let defensive backs hang around too often. There’s a play in the Ohio State game when Dotson is 25 yards down the field, and the DB is still right there with him. I also think you’re confusing this guy’s suddenness in the open field with raw speed if you think he can be a great vertical deep threat – I just don’t see it. His routes aren’t always the most crisp, and he seems to do a bit of freelancing in timing his moves vs. defensive backs as opposed to committing to run disciplined routes. I only mention that because of the precision timing successful NFL passing games possess and how a lot of that chemistry is developed through repetition, reliability, and a quarterback knowing exactly where a receiver is going to be.
Now, let’s get to the positives, because I do think he brings plenty to the table – namely, he has great ball skills, and great hands. He’s a toy for an offensive coordinator to play with – he can be gadgety, versatile, and able to line up anywhere along the formation. Penn State did a fantastic job of scheming him open, and if whichever team he lands with can do the same, he’ll be fine. He has a nice acceleration variation to his game, which makes him hard to track down with the ball in his hands. I also noticed a few times when he bated defenders into poor angles with savvy breaks – that potential is there, but it wasn’t on tape consistently. He strikes me as the type that can run quick slants, catch screens, and generate offense with his YAC ability. Plus, he has return value as well.
I like Dotson, but that’s not without reservation about his polish and speed, and not without acknowledging that it’s going to take him landing in the perfect spot for him to be a home run selection. There’s no way the Titans take him at #26 – it seems like that would be a complete departure from their philosophy at wide receiver. Though I think a guy like Dotson is something the Titans should add to their offense, they now have an immediate need for a big time outside guy since they’re moving on from Julio Jones. Dotson makes a lot of sense for a team that has stability at the quarterback position, a sharp play-caller, and just needs a little more juice on offense. Gun to my head, I’m saying Kansas City Chiefs, Arizona Cardinals, or if Brian Daboll wants to try and get his Emmanuel Sanders in New York, the Giants.
Further Reading: Penn State’s Jahan Dotson touts ‘versatility’ at 2022 NFL Combine
2022 TITANS FIRST ROUND OPTIONS
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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