The Green Bay Packers added a receiving weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Todd McShay’s latest mock draft for ESPN.
Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson was McShay’s pick for the Packers at No. 28 overall in the first round.
From McShay: “Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams are back! Great news for Green Bay. But now the Packers have to capitalize and go all in on this offense. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a free agent, and Rodgers could use another receiver he trusts. Dotson is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, but he has speed (4.43 in the 40-yard dash), suddenness (36 inches in the vertical jump) and great ball skills (91 catches in 2021). He could be a true possession receiver to complement Adams, who was franchise-tagged on Tuesday.”
The obvious question here: Would the Packers use a first-round pick on a receiver just under 5-11 and 180 pounds? Green Bay hasn’t picked a receiver in the first round since 2002, and Dotson certainly doesn’t fit the mold of the team’s standard receiver prospect.
At the combine, Dotson ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, hit 36″ in the vertical leap and finished the three-cone drill in 7.28 seconds. His Relative Athletic Score was only 5.94.
Jahan Dotson is a WR prospect in the 2022 draft class. He scored an unofficial 5.94 RAS at the Combine out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1038 out of 2557 WR from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/Q1kosQTt8c #RAS via @Mathbomb pic.twitter.com/tfKsde5cGk
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2022
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com compared Dotson to Emmanuel Sanders, a player the Packers once had serious interest in during free agency. Like Sanders, Dotson has “smooth” route-running ability and a “fully operational” skillset for all three levels in the passing game.
In Green Bay, Dotson could team with Davante Adams and Allen Lazard to give the Packers a well-rounded trio of pass-catchers for Rodgers.
Brennen Rupp of Packers Wire believes a good comparison for Dotson is Brandin Cooks.
“He’s dynamic,” Rupp said. “He’d bring special teams value as a punt returner. Strong, reliable hands. He’s sudden off the line of scrimmage and is an electric route runner with no wasted movements. He plays bigger than his frame and does a good job of going up and getting the ball at the highest point.”
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