As many expected would happen, Jahan Dotson officially announced he is declaring for the NFL draft in 2022. As a result, Dotson will pass on playing one final game for the Penn State Nittany Lions and thus will skip this week’s Outback Bowl against the Arkansas Razorbacks in Tampa. With Dotson unavailable, Penn State has a new leading receiver in Parker Washington.
The sophomore from Texas should be ready for the responsibility of being the team’s top receiver for quarterback Sean Clifford. Washington has already established himself as a valuable asset in to the Penn State passing game after serving as the perfect complement to Dotson and at times having better performances than his NFL-bound role model.
Washington enters the Outback Bowl already with 722 receiving yards, making him the leading receiver for either team playing in the Outback Bowl (Arkansas also lost its top receiver to an opt-out in Treylon Burks). Although Washington has only been responsible for four touchdown catches this season, he has made plenty of big plays to give Penn State’s offense a lift, which is why Clifford will likely look to Washington in key spots against the Razorbacks when the Nittnay Lions need some big yards.
Washington won’t be the only receiver looking to step his game up with extra opportunities in the absence of Dotson. KeAndre Lambert-Smith will also be a player to keep a close eye on. Lambert-Smith has 31 receptions for 447 yards and a pair of touchdowns this season, and his role should be elevated a bit without Dotson in the picture. Lambert-Smith leads Penn State in average yards per reception among players with at least 17 receptions this season (Malick Meiga has an average of 26 yards per reception with just three receptions for a total of 78 yards thanks to a long touchdown against Rutgers). Lambert-smith has…
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