2013 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Aaron Dobson - WR, Marshall

When somebody says "Wide Receiver from Marshall", your mind obviously goes to only one name: Randy Moss. The 2013 Draft has another WR from Marshall that doesn't quite have the talent of Moss, but he's a guy who could legitimately be a #1 WR in the NFL: Aaron Dobson.

Dobson is a big, tall Receiver (6'3", 210lbs) that can stretch the field, as well as catch balls over the middle. He played in all four season for the Thundering Herd, leading his team in receptions his Sophomore and Junior seasons. He finished his career with 165 catches for just under 2400 yards and 24 TDs, tied for 4th in school history with former Colts nemesis Troy Brown. What Dobson is really known for is this ridiculous catch he made against East Carolina two years ago:

That has 1.8 Million views, and is on par with some of the catches we've seen from Colts receivers over the years. Unreal.

The biggest downside to Dobson is that he played in Conference USA, and never had to go up against elite talent in any of his four years. In reading some scouting reports, he may have trouble getting separation down the field, despite being pretty good a getting through press coverage That seems to be something that can be taught with some proper technique, and hours in the weight room, so I'm not that concerned about that. You can't teach height though, which he's got. I'm also a bit concerned why his productivity dropped off so much his senior season, as he had two teammates catch 110 (!) and 67 passes. Tough to tell without having followed the team closely.

The more I read about him, the more he screams Pierre Garcon, just taken a few rounds earlier. He can make insanely difficult catches look easy, but can sometimes disappear in games. He would be an immediate starter for the Colts, as he would complement Reggie Wayne and T.Y. Hilton quite nicely. He's being projected in the 2nd or 3rd round, and with the Colts not owning a 2nd round pick, he'll probably have to slip a little, or the Colts will have to go up and get him (something that Grigson isn't afraid to do). I don't think it's that big of a need to move up to get a guy like Dobson, but if he falls all the way to the Colts pick in Round 3? Sounds good to me.

Scouting Profile from NFL.com:

Strengths

Presents a tall, long build prototypical of outside vertical receivers. Possesses strong hands, length, and good concentration to snatch high and wide passes. Tracks the ball well over his shoulder and makes acrobatic one-handed catches.

Weaknesses

Hasn’t faced many top-level defenders during his career. Owns strider’s speed, and NFL corners will make it more difficult for him to get into his routes.

NFL Comparison

Sidney Rice

National Football Post:

STRENGTHS - Aaron Dobson is a tall, long-armed wide receiver who has consistently shown the ability to make incredible adjustments to the ball while it is in the air. Dobson lines up almost every play on the left side of the field. (Matt's note: Eerie...)

WEAKNESSES - The production hasn't been there as a senior as he has only scored twice at the midway point after scoring 12 TD as a junior. For a big player, Dobson doesn't stick to blocks all that well and while willing, it is something that needs to be improved.

SUMMARY - Dobson has tremendous hand size and arm length to go with prototype size for the position at the NFL level. He is an exceptional athlete who displays outstanding speed, body control and balance. He is a legitimate vertical threat on every snap of the ball. He looks a lot like a poor man's version of A.J. Green coming out of Georgia except that he lacks Green's explosiveness and top end play-making speed. He is a legitimate No. 1 WR prospect for the NFL level.

Stats from Sports-Reference.com

Combine Measurements: