The Washington Commanders didn’t get a lot of value from using a first-round pick on Jahan Dotson four years ago, but they’re already getting a “better” return from a third-round wide receiver after only one game in 2026.
Rookie Antonio Williams is already “better” than 2022 NFL draft 16th-overall pick Dotson in one important way, according to ESPN’s John Keim. He explained on “The John Keim Report” why Williams has a better understanding of how to get open.
Keim referenced an example from Williams’ regular-season debut, the 24-22 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. Williams “sold the go route and then he crosses them out to the outside. Now, he would have been open except the ball was out, but I liked the route. You do that time and time again. You get you’re gonna get more chances.”
This subtle agility running a route was contrasted with what Keim used to see from Dotson. Keim explained, “I used to say that about Jahan Dotson when he was a rookie and then he just plateaued. He could never really get off the line. That was a big problem. I think Antonio Williams is better at getting off the line for sure.”
Williams certainly proved adept at quickly escaping coverage out of his breaks, during a performance that earned him high grades, as well as a league-wide award. The 22-year-old is already trending upwards, in the opposite direction to Dotson.
Antonio Williams Making Immediate Impact
The Commanders drafted Williams with the 71st pick this year hoping he’d be a versatile playmaker in new coordinator David Blough’s offense. A slot-style, roving target to be used similar to how an All-Pro features for Blough’s old team, the Detroit Lions.
Williams began living up to his breakout billing with a busy display against the Eagles. He was active enough to reel in all four of his targets for 64 yards, including a clutch touchdown catch at the goal-line.
It was notable how Williams was moving laterally before all of these catches. Travelling across different levels of the field, in front of or behind coverage.
A wideout able to win this consistently on crossing routes gives the Commanders something different in the passing game. Somebody who can move the chains over the middle and from underneath areas.
That not only makes Williams different from Commanders’ go-to receiver Terry McLaurin, who still mostly operates outside the numbers. The same quality is also what the Commanders wanted, but didn’t get from Dotson.
Commanders Still Trying to Overcome Jahan Dotson Draft Miss
The Commanders would prefer their misjudgement of Dotson’s talent was just an outlier. A misstep unique to the regime in power before general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn took the reins in 2024.
Unfortunately, Quinn and Peters have more than one ill-informed wide receiver pick to their dubious credit. Including Luke McCaffrey, a top-100 pick two years ago who’s yet to become a regular starter and has made just 29 catches, per Pro Football Reference.
Last season’s fourth-round pick Jaylin Lane hardly fared better as a rookie. He’s been targeted a mere 32 times in 16 games.
Lane and McCaffrey are both struggling to make the grade, but neither arrived with the same high profile as Dotson. He took that profile and floundered through two mediocre seasons in Washington, before flopping after being traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, only to land with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason.
Williams seems set to tread a different path, an assumption he’ll confirm with extra opportunities against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 2. Those opportunities seem guaranteed after McLaurin was called out for a disappointing season-opener, while fellow marquee receiver Stefon Diggs received a fine for his ill-advised end zone celebration in Philly.
Commanders’ Rookie Already ‘Better’ Than Jahan Dotson for 1 Reason