Former Penn State star wide receiver Jahan Dotson, who is projected to go mid-to-late first round in Thursday’s draft, has many suitors in where he could go and he has impressed many throughout the pre-draft process.
Last season with the Nittany Lions, Dotson had a career year, catching 91 passes for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was top three in almost every single B1G 10 receiving category and set records at Penn State. One record he set — the single game receiving yards record — in which he had 242 receiving yards.
It’s been projected that he would go somewhere between 15 and the end of the first round, but some believe that he may fall into the early second round.
The Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills are ‘enamored’ with Dotson in the late first round, according to a source with knowledge.
Green Bay has picks 22 and 28 in the first round and Buffalo has pick 25 in the first round.
The Packers are looking to replace a huge hole on the offensive side of the ball in Davante Adams, as they traded the star receiver away to the Las Vegas Raiders in what was a shocking move.
The Buffalo Bills just have one of the most underrated receiving corps’ in the NFL: Stefon Diggs, Jamison Crowder, and Gabriel Davis. With the recent release of wide receiver Cole Beasley, the Bills could look to replace him with a young receiver in the draft. Dotson would fit that roll perfectly and a source with knowledge said that if Dotson is on the board, Buffalo will definitely consider him.
Two other teams to watch out for, according to a source — Philadelphia and Kansas City, who own picks 15 & 18 and picks 29 & 30 respectively.
Philadelphia could use some additional firepower in their offense to help Devonta Smith get more open looks along with giving Jalen Hurts more options on offense. Dotson in this situation is the hometown kid and it seems like it could be meant to be. Dotson grew up in Pennsylvania, went to Penn State, and could potentially be drafted by the Eagles?
Kansas City is where it starts to get real real interesting. After just trading away superstar receiver Tyreek Hill this off-season, they are left with a little bit of a void to fill. Dotson has a similar play style to Hill and could fit a role with Kansas City.
A source with knowledge said that Kansas City is interested in Dotson at the end of the first round and will take a look at him if he’s available.
At the NFL combine, Dotson posted a 4.43 40-yard dash along with opening some eyes with the pass catching and route-running portion of the combine.
A source said what impressed teams the most was Dotson’s professional approach, character and drive to get better. He brings around a football everywhere he goes to work on his hands and to get used to having the ball in his hands — something that may happen a lot at the next level.
While he could be drafted anywhere on Thursday night, it is not a secret that those four teams are interested in Dotson and are willing to take a chance on him if he’s available.
