Jahan Dotson leads Penn State players in prominent positions in NFL draft analyst’s rankings

STATE COLLEGE — Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson returned to the Nittany Lions for his senior season to help erase memories of 2020’s 4-5 campaign, but he also has boosted his profile in the process.

ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. released his updated “Big Board” for the 2022 NFL Draft on Tuesday morning, and Dotson features prominently in it. Kiper, a longtime draft expert, ranked Dotson as his No. 16 overall prospect and No. 3 wide receiver in the class.

The 5-foot-11, 184-pound Dotson slipped down from No. 8 overall and the No. 1 wide receiver in the previous iteration of Kiper’s Big Board.

“Dotson is an explosive wideout having a great season,” Kiper wrote. “He had an incredible leaping catch against Illinois over the weekend, and look how open he is on this 49-yard touchdown against Wisconsin. Plus, check out Penn State’s first offensive play against Villanova, a 52-yard strike to Dotson in which he showed acceleration at the catch. While he had a few drops in 2019 and 2020, he hasn’t dropped any of his 78 targets this season.”

Dotson seems to turn in highlight-reel catches on a weekly basis, and he has 49 catches for 552 yards (11.27 yards per catch) and six touchdowns this season. He has at least five catches in all seven games this season, and he has gained at least 100 yards in a game twice. Through the first half of the season, he emerged as Penn State’s most explosive offensive player.

A couple other Penn State players popped up in Kiper’s rankings, and it figures to be another busy pre-draft season for the Nittany Lions.

Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, who is out for the season because of an injury he suffered at Iowa on Oct. 9, is ranked as the No. 10A player at his position, and defensive end Arnold Ebiketie, who leads Penn State with 5 1/2 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, is the No. 3 outside linebacker prospect in Kiper’s rankings.

Linebacker Brandon Smith, who ranks second on the team with 44 tackles, checks in right behind Ebiketie as the No. 4 outside linebacker, and safety Jaquan Brisker is Kiper’s No. 4 player at the position.

And then there’s kicker/punter Jordan Stout, who, arguably, has been Penn State’s most consistent performer this season, checking in at No. 3 among the specialists.

While Penn State has scuffled in recent weeks with back-to-back losses to Iowa and Illinois, the Nittany Lions are still a talented bunch, and Kiper expects plenty of players to be in the mix to get drafted next spring.

The top five players on Kiper’s Big Board are Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton, LSU cornerback Derek Stingley Jr., USC wide receiver Drake London and Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal.