Rookie Watch: New England Patriots’ Aaron Dobson


Aaron Dobson

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

What’s not to like about a receiver who is 6-foot-3, 210 pounds and can run a 40-yard dash in 4.37 seconds?

The seocnd-round pick of the New England Patriots is a physical freak while also being a phenomenal athlete. Aaron Dobson played basketball and football in his time at Marshall, something Bill Belichick loves about the rookie.

With the release of Brandon Lloyd, the Patriots are in need of a big outside receiver, something Dobson perfectly fits the description of. While it isn’t typical of Belichick to throw a rookie right into action, the lack of depth at reciever may force him into playing time.

Aside from the injury-prone Danny Amendola (who missed 20 games in past two seasons) and Julian Edelman, try to name two receivers on the Pats roster … my point exactly. The Patriots have an extremely weak receiving core, a situation that can and will play into Dobson’s favor.

With injuries keeping major parts of the Patriots offense sidelined this offseason (Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez, Julian Edelman), Dobson has been getting some reps with Tom Brady in OTAs. If Dobson can take advantage of these opportunities in practice, which he apparently has been, it could translate into a significant number of snaps in the regular season.

Look out for Dobson when training camp opens. If he is taking snaps with the first team offense, he is very worthy of a late round pick, especially in keeper leagues.

Michael Block is a featured sports columnist for Rant Sports  You can Follow him on Twitter @Mike_Block2 

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