Trent Baalke and the Jacksonville Jaguars front office added some help for quarterback Trevor Lawrence last month in free agency. The moves they made included signing receivers Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, as well as tight end Evan Engram through a prove-it deal. While the team notably lost DJ Chark Jr., their additions should be more than enough to compensate.
Heading into the NFL Draft, many fans believe that the receiver room still needs major additions with most glaring at that 33rd overall selection as a possible answer. At 33, the Jaguars could look at many different receivers, George Pickens, Christian Watson, and Skyy Moore come to mind.
However, there is another. That player is Penn State’s, Jahan Dotson. While Dotson doesn’t have the absurd testing of those players above, he no doubt is a better player today and will enter draft night as one of the more polished receivers in the entire draft.
Dotson has everything you look for in a No. 2 receiver. While his size (5-foot-11, 184 pounds) limits him to a degree, his ball skills and body control are top-notch, as is his route-running. He also might have the best set of mitts in the class. Dotson’s more of a jack of all trades, a master of none.
This natural feel for the position has helped Dotson cement himself amongst the class’s best receivers. In 2021, the Nittany Lion caught 91 balls for nearly 1,200 yards and a conference-high of 12 touchdowns.
With so little on the outside for Jacksonville, someone with Dotson’s expertise and high floor would be a welcomed edition to help alleviate pressure off of Lawrence. It could go a long way.
Here’s just a taste of what Dotson could bring to Duval!
Nothing Jahan Dotson is doing today should surprise anyonepic.twitter.com/6gP8ON5b0t
— Tommy Garrett (@TommygarrettPFN) March 24, 2022
Watch the slot WR on the top of the screen right here, that's Jahan Dotson from Penn State. He can play all over the field and would be a perfect fit in Luke Getsy's offense as a versatile weapon who can win in multiple ways. #Bears #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/neyCezipnA
— Usayd Koshul (@usaydkoshul) March 22, 2022
Jahan Dotson's 87.5 PFF Grade in 2021 is the highest by a Penn State offensive player since 2014 🦁pic.twitter.com/qohLRrFdVf
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 9, 2022
Jahan Dotson measured pretty small today at the combine.
Plays like this show why it's not a huge concern. He shows off his catch radius, strong hands and takes a hit immediately after. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/EW7PHtLFUe
— Ryder McConville (@RyderM25) March 3, 2022
For Jacksonville, I think Dotson and Pickens are the clear best options at No. 33, assuming the top-5 receivers are off the board. While the team may very well elect to go linebacker or guard, receiver still is a massive need and Dotson is simply one of the best in this 2022 class.