Jahan Dotson’s life has been full of life-changing events recently. And now, he can add one more to his resume.
On Saturday, the Washington Commanders' first-round pick achieved another milestone by graduating from Penn State University with a degree in telecommunications. Dotson posted a picture of himself in a cap and gown alongside one of him at the Commanders' rookie minicamp.
"Can't even explain how blessed I am," Dotson wrote on his social media page. "Constantly thanking the man above."
Dotson's original plans, however, didn't involve heading back to Penn State to walk across the stage. He was fully committed to finish up rookie minicamp and skip commencement to spend more time with his teammates.
But head coach Ron Rivera didn't see it that way. Instead, he encouraged Dotson to head back to Penn State to participate in the once-in-a-lifetime moment and enjoy the moment.
"I was actually ready to skip the graduation and be out here at practice, but [Rivera] said that's like a once-in-a-million type of thing," Dotson said. "He was all for me going, so I honestly hadn't even thought about skipping practice until he kind of brought that up."
Dotson, who Washington selected with the No. 16 overall pick, has already impressed his coaches with his route running and professionalism. He looked "as solid as advertised," Rivera said, through the first two days of minicamp, so it's easy to see why Rivera felt confident enough to let Dotson skip the final practice.
Now that Dotson has his degree, he can get back to work to prepare himself for having an impactful rookie season with the Commanders.
