Josh Doctson took a step forward after missing almost all of his rookie season due to an injury. Before 2018, he will be asked to improve more and potentially step into a larger role in the offense.
At the beginning of the 2017 season, it was looking like Josh Doctson was one his way to a disappointing season. Early on, he had been beaten out by Ryan Grant for playing time, and in the first five games of the season, he only played 50 percent of the snaps once.
However, as the year went along, Doctson’s time on the field increased. After the team’s win over San Francisco, Doctson played in 80 percent of the snaps in almost every game. He essentially displaced Terrelle Pryor in the starting lineup and was one of the top three receivers for most of the season.
Doctson posted solid numbers in his first full season. He caught 35 passes for 502 yards and six scores and he demonstrated that he has the ability to be a starting wide-out at the NFL level. At the same time, it’s clear that he needs to improve in some key areas. Here’s how he can do that heading into the 2018 offseason.
Work on catching the ball
The biggest problem that Doctson had during the 2017 season was his inability to consistently catch the ball. At times this season, Doctson’s hands were like bricks and he had trouble bringing in key passes. Notably, he dropped some important touchdowns, but none were bigger than the one he almost got his hands on in Week 4.
Against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, the Redskins were engaged in a tight battle, and the team had a chance to take a lead with a touchdown. On the play, Kirk Cousins threw a perfect pass into the end zone where Doctson would have a chance to make the catch. Doctson had a step on his defender, and Cousins put it in a spot where he could jump up and catch it. Doctson went up to grab the ball and got both hands on it, but he couldn’t reel it in as he went to the ground.
It wasn’t an easy catch. He hit the ground very hard while trying to reel it in. But it was one that in a key moment, and he had a chance to grab it. He needed to make to give his team a chance for another upset win. He didn’t, and that cost the team the game.
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Now, it would be easy to write this off as a rookie mistake (even though Doctson is technically in his second season, he barely played in the first). However, this continued to happen throughout the season, Doctson was guilty of dropping a lot of passes, and many were also touchdowns. One of his most egregious drops came against the Broncos, when he just flat out dropped a perfect pass into a tight window by Cousins. It was a play that an NFL receiver needed to make.
By the end of the season, Doctson had only caught 35 of his 78 targets. That was good for a catch percentage of 45, which is well below the league average. Yes, not all of his targets were on target throws, but he still got his hands on a lot of passes that he should have caught. This is really the area that Doctson needs to improve the most.
If Doctson can work on his catching ability and get softer hands, then it will allow him to convert on more receptions as in 2018. The good news is that he can definitely fix this problem with work. Now that he’s adjusted to the arm strength of NFL caliber quarterbacks, he might be able to see the game slow down and that will give him more of a chance to grab passes with confidence and better technique.
Become a possession receiver
When the Redskins drafted Doctson, it looked like he would have a chance to be a true No. 1 wide-out. In his very brief action during his rookie year, Doctson demonstrated that he had potential as a deep threat. He had one play against the Dallas Cowboys that went for 57 yards and should have gone for longer. He had the Cowboys defender beat by a couple of steps, but Cousins’ throw came up short. Had he not, it would have been a touchdown.
However, in his second season, it became apparent that while Doctson can make plays downfield, he doesn’t have the game-breaking speed to be a deep threat. His speed is decent, but it seems like the Achilles injury he dealt with as a rookie may have taken a little bit of it away. It looks like the better way for him to beat defenders will be to improve his route running and physicality. In short, he should become more of a possession receiver.
Doctson’s 6-foot-2 frame will allow him to have a size advantage on most of his opponents. The average height for a corner in the NFL is usually about 5-foot-11, so that will give Doctson three inches or so on some of his matchups. Either way, Doctson has to learn to use his body to his advantage. Ideally, he could run downfield and body up against defensive backs when he can’t get separation. If Doctson can learn to run step for step with corners and then fight for the ball thrown his way to make the catch, he will have a much greater chance of sticking around in the NFL.
FanSided
Two receivers that Doctson should watch play are Jordan Matthews and Terrance Williams. Doctson drew comparisons to both during the draft process from NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and Lance Zierlein respectably. Both Williams and Matthews profile as No. 2 receivers at the NFL level, and they have similar size to Doctson. They both function more as possession receivers but occasionally have the ability to make big downfield plays. Though neither is as talented as Doctson, they both play with the skills that allow them to find success.
Doctson isn’t ever going to be a player who is able to gain big separation from receivers at the NFL level. But, that shouldn’t stop him from being an effective possession receiver. Think of him as a poor man’s DeAndre Hopkins, which is who WalterFootball’s Charlie Campbell compared him to before the draft. Hopkins makes a lot of jump ball catches and has good size and athleticism, but rarely does he gain more than a step on opposing defensive backs.
Doctson has a good skill set and has the ability to be a high-level No. 2 receiver. That will only happen if he can turn himself into a solid possession receiver and continue to add muscle to his frame.
Become a more consistent red zone threat
Doctson is among the bigger receivers at the NFL level. So, it’s no surprise that the Redskins want to use him as a red zone threat. During the 2017 season, the Redskins looked to Doctson in the red zone quite a bit. In fact, he saw 22 targets, which was good for the team lead. However, his success on those targets was merely middling.
Yes, Doctson did record five touchdowns inside the opponent’s 20 yard line. And that is a solid number, considering that he was virtually a rookie this year. At the same time, his efficiency was pretty low. Doctson caught only 7-of-22 targets, and he definitely had a couple of catchable touchdowns slip through his hands. Much like his poor catch percentage in the regular season, this is an area that needs to be improved.
What Doctson has to work on in this area is fighting through contact. Too often, it seems that he shied away from hits and that caused him to drop the ball. As he gets more used to the NFL, he won’t be as afraid to withstand the hits and hang onto the ball. It just takes time to adjust. Additionally, it will help Doctson’s cause if he can try to high-point the ball more frequently. He has the size necessary to be a jump ball red zone threat, and if the Redskins add some plays to get him the ball, it could pay dividends for them.
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Of course, to do this and to ensure he can fight through contact, Doctson will have to add some muscle. He has a 6-foot-2 frame, but he currently stands at 202 pounds. He could easily add a few pounds of muscle to his frame, so look for him to work on that in the offseason to improve his overall ability.
If Doctson can improve his ability to fight through contact, that will give him a chance to improve on his red zone numbers. If he can catch a couple of more touchdowns in 2018, that would be a major win for the Redskins, who lack other quality red zone targets due to a lack of size among their other receivers.
Overall, Doctson still has a lot of upside. Improving marginally in these areas will allow him to play better during the 2018 season and it could help him to make the leap in his third year. Doctson could end up being a quality starter yet. He just needs to build on what was a decent 2017 performance.