Although he was the third receiver taken off the board, Washington Redskins rookie Josh Doctson will wind up being considered the best receiver of the 2016 NFL Draft class.
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Following a bizarre trade, the Washington Redskins used the 22nd overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft on TCU receiver Josh Doctson. Washington had dropped down one pick as the Houston Texans apparently decided they needed to leapfrog the Skins in order to get their receiver, Will Fuller from Notre Dame.
It was a strange move because Doctson is the more complete receiver between the two, so the Redskins got an extra late round pick in addition to the player they most likely wanted in the first place.
Not only is Doctson more complete than Fuller, but he is also more complete than the only other receiver to go before him, Corey Coleman. The Cleveland Browns selected Coleman with their 15th pick, and he is a similar player to Fuller.
Both wide outs are known for their speed and big-play ability, which is nice to have, but not always the key to NFL success. Instead, the guys who have long term success are ones who have the size and all-around game. That is what the Redskins got with Doctson, and it won’t take long before others realize just how good he is.
At 6-foot-2 and 202 pounds Doctson has great size for a wide out and while some may have assumed he was simply a possession wide out, Doctson actually posted a time in the 4.5’s on his 40-yard dash at the combine.
He even has shown an ability to make people miss after he has the ball in his hands.
Boykin 🎯 Doctson for 34 yards is play #️⃣6️⃣9️⃣! #TCUTop100 https://t.co/0TA4PAg222
— TCU Football (@TCUFootball) June 27, 2016
Perhaps the biggest reason to predict great success for Doctson is the man throwing him the ball. Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins has made tremendous strides under head coach Jay Gruden and in 2015 he threw for 4,166 yards.
One of the reasons for his big numbers is the trust Cousins has in his pass catchers. Cousins has no issues throwing the ball up to a receiver in tight coverage, something he did often with players like tight end Jordan Reed and receiver Pierre Garcon.
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Look for Cousins to do more of the same with Doctson and as he quickly takes over for the aging veterans in D.C. people will come to realize that the best receiver from the 2016 class resides in our Nation’s Capital.