Jarius Shaw-Dodd

**Jarius Shaw-Dodd** (born June 21, 1995) is an American football Wide Receiver for the San Francisco 49ers. He played college football at Virginia Tech. The San Francisco 49ers selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2018 NFLHC Draft.

### Recruiting

*Sources:*

Jarius Shaw-Dodd was considered one of the best high school wide receiver recruits in his class. He was heavily recruited by both Virginia Tech and BYU. Ultimately, he decided to accept the Hokies' scholarship offer.

## College Career

Shaw-Dodd attended Virginia Tech for four years and was the team's top wide receiver over that span. He was one of the best wide receivers in college football history, finishing his career with 265 catches (10th) for 4,412 yards (1st), and 46 receiving touchdowns (1st). Over the course of his college career, his honors include the Fred Biletnikoff Award and being named an All-American.

### 2014 Season

Jarius Shaw-Dodd joined Virginia Tech in 2014 and immediately took on a prominent role with the offense. During preseason, he was named the team's top wide reciever. Shaw-Dodd embraced the role and quickly developed a rapport with quarterback Blake Shell. The freshman receiver would go on to finish the season with 82 catches for 1,158 yards, and 13 touchdowns to go along with it. Those totals were good enough to consider him a top ten wide receiver in the country. On top of his skills as a receiver, Shaw-Dodd proved to be a kick returning talent when he returned a punt for a touchdown early in the season.

### 2015 Season

In his second year in college, Jarius Shaw-Dodd had to develop a connection with a second quarterback. Rob Green took over for [[Blake Shell] after the senior entered the 2015 NFLHC Draft. With the new quarterback came a new offense for the Hokies. Instead of the pass-first strategy that helped Shaw-Dodd electrify the country in 2014, the 2015 squad focused much more on the running game. Still, Shaw-Dodd was having a successful season until he took a massive hit from Mark Donaldson in Virginia Tech's Week 8 matchup against Navy. The receiver had to be carted off the field on a stretcher and would miss the rest of the 2015 campaign with a spinal injury. He finished the year with 29 catches for 560 yards, and 5 touchdowns.

### 2016 Season

In 2016, Shaw-Dodd returned from the scary spinal injury that many feared might derail his football career. Fortunately for the junior receiver, the injury was quickly forgotten as he immediately began making an impact on the field. Shaw-Dodd didn't perform quite to the level of his freshman season, but was clearly his team's top target. He finished 2016 with 53 catches for 929 yards, along with 11 touchdowns, including one via punt return.

### 2017 Season

Entering his senior year, Shaw-Dodd decided to prove that his freshman season was no fluke. He did just that with the help of new quarterback Matthew Dobbs. Together, the two of them would help transform Virginia Tech's run-first approach into the 16th-best passing attack in the country. Shaw-Dodd shattered his career-bests in most categories and led Virginia Tech to the ACC Championship Game. He finished his season with 78 catches for 1470 yards, and 15 touchdowns. That was good enough for first in the country in receiving yards, as well as receiving touchdowns. Shaw-Dodd's earth-shattering season earned him the Fred Biletnikoff Award for the best wide receiver in college football. He was also named an All-American, becoming the third Virginia Tech player in history to earn that honor.

## Professional Career

### Pre-draft

Shaw-Dodd was considered the top wide receiver in his draft class. In college, he held most of the career receiving records. Many projected him to be a top 10 draft pick.

#### Measurables

Pre-draft measurables

Jarius Shaw-Dodd ran the fastest 40-yard dash in the history of the Combine with a 4.19. He also performed well in the other drills, confirming his top wide receiver projection. The Combine did introduce one major red flag for the standout receiver. During the medical exam, it was revealed that he would be much more likely to sustain an injury.

### Draft

Shaw-Dodd was selected in the 1st round of the 2018 NFLHC Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers traded up with the New York Giants in order to pick the wideout. He was the 1st receiver taken overall in 2018. Shaw-Dodd signed a 4 year, $22 million deal with a 5th year team option.

### 2018 Season

Jarius Shaw-Dodd was immediately pegged as the 49ers' split end receiver, behind only Kevin Branch on the team's depth chart. In his first two games, Shaw-Dodd had trouble adjusting to the speed of the game at the NFL level. Coach Duncan moved the rookie into the role of slot receiver and hasn't looked back. In his first four games in that position, Shaw-Dodd recorded 4 touchdowns. The previous team record for touchdowns by a wide receiver in a single season was 3.