Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1505647
6 4 O C T O B E R 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M B y the time Jahan Dotson spoke to the media after practice on Sept 16, he'd already been named the NFL Rookie of the Week. With the honor, he earned a pro-wrestling-style champi- onship belt, a T-shirt, and some good- natured ribbing from his Washington Commanders teammates and coaches. Five days earlier, the former Penn State wideout had caught 3 passes for 40 yards in a 28-22 win over Jackson- ville. Dotson punctuated his pro debut with a pair of spectacular touchdowns, the second of which was a 24-yarder with 1:46 to play that decided the game. Pleased to be saluted for his perfor- mance, Dotson insisted he had more to give. "It was pretty cool, for sure," he told reporters. "But there's plenty more to come. I want to win it every week at this point." The 16th overall pick in the draft last April, Dotson said he saw numerous areas for improvement heading into a Week 2 visit to Detroit, starting with his "overall tempo in the game." "I was able to make some plays, but I left some plays out there on the field," he said. "Can't do that moving forward, especially for where I want to be in the future and where I see this team could be going, and that's big places. Can't leave those plays out in the field. "Championship teams, they make the most of those plays and they capitalize. We've got to do that." Dotson did do that against the Lions on Sept. 18, reeling in 4 receptions on 5 targets from quarterback Carson Wentz. The catches were good for 59 yards and another touchdown, making Dotson an early favorite of his new signal-caller. "The kid keeps showing up," Wentz told reporters. "I can't say enough good things about Jahan and the way he keeps showing up like that." FORMER NITTANY LIONS IN THE NFL Marcus Allen (played at Penn State from 2014- 17), LB, Pittsburgh Steelers: Allen has played in all three games this season, all on special teams. He's received 32 kick and punt coverage snaps but none on the actual Pittsburgh defense. Adrian Amos (2011-14), S, Green Bay Packers: Amos is a key part of the Packers' defense. He has played 100 percent of the team's defensive snaps at safety (168) through three weeks, totaling 11 tackles (1 for loss) and a pass breakup so far. Troy Apke (2014-17), S, Washington Command- ers: Apke is on the team's practice squad. He was not elevated to the active roster during the first three weeks. Saquon Barkley (2015-17), RB, New York Giants: Barkley is back. He didn't have quite the explosive performances in Week 2 or 3 as he did in the opener when he ran for 164 yards and a score in the Giants' win over Tennessee. However, he did B Y N AT E B A U E R N AT E . B AU E R @ O N 3 . C O M Jahan Dotson Is Off To A Strong Start In Washington PSU IN THE PROS Through his first three NFL games, Dotson is leading the Washington Commanders with 3 touchdown catches. His 109 receiving yards rank third on the team. PHOTO BY EMILEE FAILS/WASHINGTON COMMANDERS