2013 Senior Bowl: Aaron Dobson Likely to See Draft Stock Rise
By Josh Hill
The Senior Bowl is often skipped by top prospects who know where they will be going in the NFL Draft. Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck both skipped the game last year as it was a virtual certainty that they’d go 1-2 in the NFL Draft. But one guy that isn’t skipping the Senior Bowl is Marshall wide receiver Aaron Dobson and he’s likely going to see his draft stock sky rocket while he’s there.
Dobson isn’t a guy who was always on SportsCenter, he never had his face made into a sign on College GameDay, heck he didn’t even play for that flashy of a school. But at 6-foot-2, Dobson has the ability to elevate himself above defenders, and when he’s matched up against some of the best cornerbacks in the country this Saturday, he’s hoping he can prove his worth to NFL scouts.
“I think I’ve done pretty well,” said Dobson in reference to his practice performance at the Senior Bowl in Mobile this week. “I think everybody is seeing what kind of receiver I am. I’m showcasing myself in front of a lot of talent out there. There’s a lot of talent. I’m just trying to let everybody know that I deserve to be here and I can play.”
The pool of top-flight wide receivers isn’t that deep this year, which means there is plenty of ground for Dobson to realistically make up. Besides Keenan Allen, Cordarrelle Patterson, Terrance Williams and even Justin Hunter, the list of wide receivers is pretty short. While being a first round draft pick is still a tall order, Dobson can go from being a virtually unknown player to a third or even second round pick.
Dobson has drawn comparisons to Randy Moss and even Mel Kiper believes that Dobson is destined to see his draft stock rise, and that begins at the Senior Bowl.
“He’s a kid that could be a lot like Brian Quick was last year from Appalachian State,” said Kiper. “Dobson is going to have a big Senior Bowl. He has size and didn’t have a quarterback that could get him the ball on a consistent basis. He’s very athletic. When he’s had the opportunity to go up and make a play he’s made it. He could be in the late first round discussion or certainly in the early to mid-second round discussion as a guy that nobody is talking about that could emerge.”
There are always plenty of stories coming into the Senior Bowl, which is the last chance many of the lesser known prospects have to prove their worth. But NFL teams love a tall, fast receiver who is just as capable of making acrobatic catches as he is burning a defensive back in a foot race to the endzone.
Dobson’s flown under the radar up to this point, but he seems to possess all the qualities of a guy destined to see his value go through the roof.