Aaron Dobson
Aaron Jameer Dobson (born July 23, 1991) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played college football at Marshall.
 Dobson with the Cardinals in the 2017 preseason. | |||||||||
| No. 17, 19, 83 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | July 23, 1991 Dunbar, West Virginia | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 200 lb (91 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | South Charleston (WV) | ||||||||
| College: | Marshall | ||||||||
| NFL Draft: | 2013 / Round: 2 / Pick: 59 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Early years
Dobson was born in Dunbar, West Virginia. He attended South Charleston High School in South Charleston, West Virginia, and played high school football and high school basketball for the South Charleston Black Eagles. He recorded 45 receptions for 1,298 yards and 17 touchdowns as a senior and added seven interceptions on defense, and finished his high school career with 108 receptions, 2,365 yards and 32 touchdowns. He had 10 interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns, and was a member of the 2008 MSAC Championship team and 2008 West Virginia AAA State Championship, which finished with a 14-0 record.
In 2009, he played for USA Football's U.S. Under-19 National Team that won the 2009 IFAF Under-19 World Championship in Canton, Ohio, where he was teammates with future New York Giants running back, David Wilson.[1]
College career
Dobson attended Marshall University, where he played for the Marshall Thundering Herd football team from 2009 to 2012. During his college career, Dobson had 165 receptions for 2,398 yards and 24 touchdowns. As a junior in 2011, he was the MVP of the 2011 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl.[2][3] He ended his Marshall senior season being named 2nd team All-Conference USA and being invited to play in the Senior Bowl.[4]
Dobson gained recognition in 2011 during a game against East Carolina, when he had a one-handed backhand catch for a touchdown in the second quarter.[5] The play went viral and was ranked second on ESPN's Top 10 Plays of the Year.[6]
Professional career
| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
210 lb (95 kg) |
4.42 s | 1.51 s | 2.60 s | 4.33 s | 7.19 s | 35 in (0.89 m) | 10 ft 2 in (3.10 m) | 16 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine.[7][8] | ||||||||||||
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots selected Dobson in the second round, with the 59th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft. He signed a four-year, $3.4 million contract. His first career catch was for a touchdown against the New York Jets in Week 2. In a Week 9 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he had the first 100-yard game of his career. He caught five passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. He suffered a foot injury in week 12 against the Broncos and missed weeks 13-15. He appeared in 12 games (nine starts) with 519 receiving yards and four touchdowns during his rookie campaign in 2013.
Dobson was inactive for eight of the first twelve weeks of the 2014 season before injuring his hamstring against the Green Bay Packers in Week 13. On December 4, 2014, he was placed on injured reserve. With Dobson on IR, the Patriots won Super Bowl XLIX after they defeated the defending champion Seattle Seahawks, 28-24.
Dobson was active for Week 1 against the Steelers on September 10, 2015. He played sparingly recording one reception for nine yards. In the second week, against the Buffalo Bills, he tied a career-high with seven catches, for 87 yards.[9] He recorded a 17-yard pass from quarterback Tom Brady in a 20-13 win over the Bills in Week 11; on the play, he injured his ankle and had to leave the game.[10] He was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, and on November 26, 2015, the Patriots placed him on injured reserve, ending his season.
On September 3, 2016, Dobson was released by the Patriots as part of final roster cuts.[11]
Detroit Lions
On September 21, 2016, Dobson was signed by the Detroit Lions.[12] He was released on September 24, 2016.[13] On September 27, 2016, he was re-signed by the Lions.[14] He was released again on October 8, 2016.[15]
Arizona Cardinals
On January 5, 2017, Dobson signed a reserve/future contract with the Arizona Cardinals.[16] He was placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017.[17] He was released on September 6, 2017.[18]
References
- "Dobson, Team USA roll". The Herald-Dispatch. July 7, 2009.
- "Time to be a leader".
- "Marshall Wins 2011 Beef `O' Brady's Bowl". Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- "Herd Football Has Nine Named to All-Conference, All-Freshman Teams". Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved May 15, 2015.
- Aaron Dobson "The Catch" on YouTube
- Ramspacher, Andrew (December 31, 2011). "Aaron Dobson's 'Catch' is one of ESPN's top plays of the year". The Herald-Dispatch.
- "Aaron Dobson-Marshall WR-2013 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". Nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- "Aaron Dobson Player Page". RotoWorld. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
- "Aaron Dobson". ESPN.com.
- "Patriots Notebook: Danny Amendola forced out with injured knee - The Boston Globe".
- "Patriots reach the 53-man roster limit". Patriots.com. September 3, 2016. Archived from the original on November 6, 2017.
- Lions sign free agent WR Aaron Dobson, place Ameer Abdullah on reserve/injured Archived October 27, 2016, at the Wayback Machine NFL.com, September 21, 2016
- "Lions sign LB Zaviar Gooden from practice squad, waive WR Aaron Dobson". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on September 25, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- "Lions re-sign WR Aaron Dobson". DetroitLions.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- "Lions sign LB Steve Longa to active roster and activate DE Armonty Bryant". DetroitLions.com. October 8, 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
- Urban, Darren (January 5, 2017). "Punter Richie Leone, Receiver Aaron Dobson Added". AZCardinals.com.
- Urban, Darren (September 2, 2017). "Cardinals Make Moves To Reach 53-Man Roster". AZCardinals.com. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
- Bouda, Nate (September 6, 2017). "Cardinals Release WR Aaron Dobson From Injured Reserve With Settlement".
- "Aaron Dobson stats". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved January 16, 2020.