Aaron Dobson talks about transition, limited yesterday
New England Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson was listed as a limited participant during yesterday’s practice with a hamstring injury, and that was interesting to see since it must be a new ailment for Dobson. The injury seems extremely minor, so there is very little chance of Dobson missing Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
New England Patriots draft pick, receiver Aaron Dobson (17) participates in drills during training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Dobson has the most upside of any wide receiver on the Patriots roster, but he still has an awful lot of work to do. The Marshall product is also the most raw receiver on the roster, and he had a rough preseason. There were times when Dobson just didn’t show enough aggressiveness on thrown balls, and it is clear that there are still parts of his game that need a quite a bit of work. But Dobson has good speed, great size, and he has a large catch radius with the uncanny ability to come up with incredible circus catches.
The second-round pick knows he has quite a bit to work on and said this to the Boston Herald, “I feel like that might be the biggest (difference) besides the speed of the game. The thing about coming to the NFL is the film, watching film and recognizing who you’re going against, what you’re going against coverage-wise, the tendencies of the player you’re going against. I feel like that’s a big thing that steps up from the college level to the NFL.”
He also spoke about the importance of having “great technique”, “Definitely coming into this level, you’ve got to be great at technique. There are a lot of good athletes in college who can get by with athletic ability. Being at this level, we’re playing guys who are working hard, have athletic ability, study film, do it all to go over and above. Everybody is good, so you’ve got to be on the same level as everybody else.”
Added film study will definitely help out Aaron Dobson a lot as he seeks to become the No. 1 receiver the Patriots want him to be, but it’s also going to take a lot of game experience and reps. I think Dobson will have a quiet rookie season, but he has a chance at becoming a star in his third year in the league.