Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs
refer to caption
Dobbs in 2018
No. 5 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position: Quarterback
Personal information
Born: (1995-01-26) January 26, 1995
Alpharetta, Georgia
Height: 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight: 216 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school: Alpharetta
(Alpharetta, Georgia)
College: Tennessee
NFL Draft: 2017 / Round: 4 / Pick: 135
Career history
Roster status: Active
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Early years

Dobbs was born and raised in Alpharetta, Georgia, the son of Stephanie and Robert Dobbs.[1] His mother retired from United Parcel Service (UPS) as a region manager in corporate human resources and his father is a senior vice president for Wells Fargo bank.[2] Joshua has alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease causing hair loss, which first developed when he was transitioning from elementary to junior high school.[2][3]

Dobbs started playing competitive football when he was five years old.[4] He attended Wesleyan School and then Alpharetta High School. As a senior with the Alpharetta Raiders football team, he threw for 3,625 yards with 29 touchdowns. Dobbs was a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and a four-star by Scout.com.[5][6][1] He originally committed to Arizona State University to play college football, but in February 2013, he changed his commitment to the University of Tennessee.[7]

Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering during his time at the University of Tennessee.[3] The university presented him with the 2017 Torchbearer Award, the highest honor for an undergraduate student, which recognizes accomplishments in the community and academics. Dobbs was heralded as possessing a perfect 4.0 grade point average and being named to the Southeastern Conference Academic Honor Roll.[8]

College career

2013 season

As a true freshman in 2013, Dobbs played in five games with four starts after starter Justin Worley was injured in a 45–10 loss against Alabama at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Dobbs came into the game on the road at #1 Alabama and completed 5-of-12 passes for 75 yards.[9][10] He started his first career game against the #10 Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field.[11] He completed 26-of-42 passes for 240 yards in the 31–3 loss, which was the most passing yards in a freshman debut since 2004; Erik Ainge (118) and Brent Schaefer (123) vs UNLV. [12] After a 55–23 loss to Auburn Tigers[13] and a 14–10 loss to Vanderbilt Commodores,[14] Dobbs put together a solid performance against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. In the 27–14 victory, Dobbs threw his first two career touchdown passes and had a 40-yard rushing touchdown.[15] Overall, he completed 72-of-121 passes for 695 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions and also rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown in his true freshman season.[16]

2014 season

Dobbs competed with Worley, who was a senior, and Nathan Peterman, a sophomore, to be Tennessee's starter for the 2014 season.[17][18] Worley was announced the starter, however, Dobbs took over as the starter in November after Worley was injured in a 34–3 loss to Ole Miss at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium.[19] Although Dobbs was not pushed into action immediately after the injury. In the following week against #4 Alabama Crimson Tide, Peterman was named the starter, but he was relieved quickly by Dobbs. Dobbs performed well in the 34–20 defeat by recording 192 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns against the Crimson Tide.[20][21] Against South Carolina, Dobbs had a breakout performance against the Gamecocks at Williams-Brice Stadium. In the 45–42 comeback win in overtime, Dobbs had 301 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 166 rushing yards, and three rushing touchdowns.[22][23] Against the Kentucky Wildcats at Neyland Stadium, Dobbs had 297 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 48 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown in the 50–16 victory.[24][25] Dobbs and team helped Tennessee reach their first bowl game since the 2010 season. Dobbs was named the 2015 TaxSlayer Bowl MVP in Tennessee's 45–28 victory over Iowa. In the game, Dobbs passed for 129 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 76 yards and two touchdowns.[26][27][28] Dobbs threw for 1,206 yards with nine touchdowns and six interceptions during his sophomore season. He finished the 2014 season with 469 yards rushing and eight rushing touchdowns in just six games. Dobbs received two Offensive Player of the Week honors from the Southeastern Conference, both of which came from his combined passing and rushing performances for over 400 yards in each game.[29]

2015 season

Dobbs entered the 2015 season as Tennessee's starting quarterback. He started and appeared in all 12 regular season games and the bowl game. To open Tennessee's season on September 5, Dobbs recorded 205 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 89 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown against the Bowling Green Falcons in a 59–30 win at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee.[30][31] In a 2OT 31–24 loss to Oklahoma in the Tennessee 2015 home opener, Dobbs had 125 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 12 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown.[32][33] In a 28–27 loss to SEC East rival Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Dobbs had a season-high 136 rushing yards and had a 58-yard receiving touchdown thrown by teammate wide receiver Jauan Jennings on a trick play.[34][35] Dobbs's touchdown reception against Florida was the first reception by a Tennessee quarterback since Peyton Manning caught a 10-yard pass from running back Jamal Lewis in 1997 against Arkansas.[36] Against rival Georgia, Dobbs had a season-high 312 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns.[37][38] His efforts in the game lead Tennessee to their first win over the Bulldogs since 2009. Against the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide in their annual rivalry game, Dobbs had 171 yards passing and one passing touchdown in the narrow 19–14 loss at Bryant–Denny Stadium.[39] Against rival South Carolina, Dobbs passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–24 home victory.[40] Dobbs lead Tennessee to a 9–4 record, which was the most for the Tennessee program since 2007.[41] The 2015 season was culminated with a 45–6 victory over the Northwestern in the 2016 Outback Bowl. In the bowl game, Dobbs had two rushing touchdowns.[42]

2016 season

Dobbs entered the 2016 season as Tennessee's starting quarterback in his final season of collegiate eligibility. He started and appeared in all 12 regular season games and the bowl game. Dobbs started the season with a solid performance in a home game against Appalachian State. In the 20–13 overtime win, Dobbs had 192 yards passing but fumbled on the goal line; the ball was recovered by teammate and running back Jalen Hurd to give Tennessee the go-ahead score. In the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol, Dobbs three passing touchdowns to go along with two rushing touchdowns. In a 38–28 comeback victory over rival Florida, Dobbs had 319 yards passing, four passing touchdowns, 80 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown to lead the Volunteers to their first win over the Gators since 2004. Against rival Georgia, Dobbs had 230 yards passing, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown to win 34–31. Dobbs's last touchdown was a Hail Mary throw to wide receiver Jauan Jennings as time expired. With the victory, Tennessee was 5–0 with Dobbs as quarterback and ranked as high as top 10 in some polls. In a 2OT 45–38 loss to Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Dobbs had a season-high 398 passing yards and one passing touchdown. In addition, he caught a receiving touchdown from Jauan Jennings, his second career receiving touchdown. Dobbs continued solid performances over the rest of the season: he had 5 TDs, 223 passing yards and 190 rushing yards in a 63–37 win over Missouri and 340 passing yards in a 45–34 loss against Vanderbilt at Vanderbilt Stadium. Despite his play, Tennessee faded from their 5–0 start to finish 8–4.[43]

In the final game of his Tennessee career, Dobbs led the Volunteers past the Nebraska Cornhuskers by a score of 38–28 in the 2016 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville. He had 291 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 11 rushes for 118 yards, and three rushing touchdowns. Dobbs was named the MVP of the game.

Dobbs led Tennessee to a second consecutive 9–4 record. Tennessee's 18 wins with Dobbs at the helm were the most for the school over a two-year span since 2006–2007.[44]

College football statistics
  Passing Rushing
Season GPWLCmpAttPctYdsY/ATDIntAttYdsAvgTD
2013 5 1 4 72 121 59.5 695 5.74 2 5 38 189 5.0 1
2014 6 3 3 112 177 63.3 1,206 6.81 9 5 104 469 4.5 8
2015 13 9 4 208 344 59.6 2,291 6.66 15 5 146 671 4.5 11
2016 13 9 4 225 357 63.0 2,946 8.26 27 12 150 831 5.5 12
Career 37 22 15 614 999 61.5% 7,138 7.15 53 27 438 2,160 4.9 32

Professional career

Dobbs received an invitation to the Senior Bowl and was named the starting quarterback for the South. He finished the game completing 12-of-15 pass attempts for 102 passing yards and an interception, as the South defeated the North 16–15.[45] The majority of NFL draft experts and analysts projected him to be a fourth to sixth round pick. NFL analyst Mike Mayock projected him to be selected in the second round and NFL.com projected him to be drafted in the third round.[46] After attending the NFL Scouting Combine, he was ranked the seventh best quarterback in the draft by ESPN, the ninth best quarterback by Sports Illustrated, and NFLDraftScout.com ranked him the eighth best quarterback in the draft.[47][48][49] He attended Tennessee's Pro Day and scripted his own set of plays; 19 other teammates also participated in Tennessee’s Pro Day. He held workouts for six teams, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, San Diego Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and New Orleans Saints.[50][51][52][53]

Pre-draft measurables
Ht Wt Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yd split 20-yd split 20-ss 3-cone Vert jump Broad Wonderlic
6 ft 3 3⁄8 in
(1.91 m)		 216 lb
(98 kg)		 32 5⁄8 in
(0.83 m)		 9 1⁄4 in
(0.23 m)		 4.64 s 4.31 s 6.75 s 33 in
(0.84 m)		 10 ft 2 in
(3.10 m)		 29[54]
All values from 2017 NFL Combine.[55]

2017 season

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Dobbs in the fourth round (135th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[56] He was the seventh quarterback selected, and the Steelers also drafted his former Tennessee and Senior Bowl teammate, cornerback Cameron Sutton.

On May 22, 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Dobbs to a four-year, $2.95 million contract with a signing bonus of $554,295.[57]

Dobbs was named the starter for the Steelers' pre-season opener against the New York Giants.[58]

After completing 38-of-64 pass attempts for two touchdowns and three interceptions in two starts and four appearances during the pre-season, Dobbs spent his entire rookie season behind incumbent starter Ben Roethlisberger and long-term backup Landry Jones. Dobbs also finished the pre-season with seven carries for 34 rushing yards and a touchdown.[59]

2018 season

Dobbs made his NFL debut on October 7, 2018 in a 41-17 Steelers win against the Atlanta Falcons, as on the final play of the game, he kneeled down for a loss of 3 yards.

References

  1. 1 2 "Joshua Dobbs To Speak At Sports Fest 2017". 104–5 The Zone. March 23, 2017. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  2. 1 2 Ubben, David (August 19, 2016). "Face of Vols is True Inspiration". Sports on Earth. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  3. 1 2 Evans, Thayer; Thamel, Pete (September 11, 2015). "Q&A with Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ Potkey, Rhiannon (September 29, 2016). "Joshua Dobbs' parents savoring son's last season as Vols quarterback". The Tennesseean. USA Today Network. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Rivals.com". sports.yahoo.com.
  6. ↑ "Recruiting Football Team News, Scout". recruiting.scout.com.
  7. ↑ Fornelli, Tom (February 6, 2013). "QB Joshua Dobbs flips from Arizona State to Tennessee". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  8. ↑ Potkey, Rhiannon (March 30, 2017). "Joshua Dobbs honored as University of Tennessee Torchbearer". Knoxville News Sentinel. USA Today Netword. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Justin Worley out, Joshua Dobbs in for Tennessee at QB". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  10. ↑ "Tennessee at Alabama Box Score, October 26, 2013". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  11. ↑ Lewis, Daniel (October 29, 2013). "Freshman quarterback Joshua Dobbs to start for Tennessee at No. 10 Missouri". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Knoxville, Tennessee. Retrieved October 29, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Tennessee at Missouri Box Score, November 2, 2013". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Auburn at Tennessee Box Score, November 9, 2013". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Vanderbilt at Tennessee Box Score, November 23, 2013". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Tennessee at Kentucky Box Score, November 30, 2013". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  16. ↑ Feldman, Bruce (March 10, 2014). "Volunteers QB Joshua Dobbs impressing on the field, in classroom". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  17. ↑ Brown, Patrick (March 7, 2014). "Jones says Vols' QB competition 'will take care of itself'". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Knoxville, Tennessee. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ "Healthy QB competition excites Tennessee's Jones". USA Today. Associated Press. March 7, 2014. Retrieved March 7, 2014.
  19. ↑ Slovin, Matt (November 1, 2014). "Vols name Josh Dobbs starting QB". The Tennessean. Columbia, South Carolina. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Vols show life, but lose eighth straight to Alabama". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  21. ↑ "Alabama at Tennessee Box Score, October 25, 2014". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Vols stage furious fourth quarter comeback to stun South Carolina in overtime". Knoxville News-Sentinel. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  23. ↑ "Tennessee at South Carolina Box Score, November 1, 2014". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  24. ↑ "Tennessee Vols beat Kentucky, 50-16". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  25. ↑ "Kentucky at Tennessee Box Score, November 15, 2014". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  26. ↑ "Vols' Josh Dobbs: From third team to bowl MVP". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  27. ↑ "Tennessee overwhelms Iowa in TaxSlayer Bowl". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  28. ↑ "TaxSlayer Bowl – Iowa vs Tennessee Box Score, January 2, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Hobbs Named SEC Offensive Player of Week". utsports.com. Birmingham, Alabama: CBS Interactive. October 11, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  30. ↑ "#25 Vols Power Past Bowling Green, 59-30 - University of Tennessee". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  31. ↑ "Bowling Green State vs Tennessee Box Score, September 5, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  32. ↑ "Vols fall to Oklahoma in 2OT". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  33. ↑ "Oklahoma at Tennessee Box Score, September 12, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Josh Dobbs makes history in Vols' loss to Gators". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  35. ↑ "Tennessee at Florida Box Score, September 26, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  36. ↑ Rice, Brian. "Tennessee's loss at Florida inside the numbers". Sports Radio WNML. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  37. ↑ "Vols Storm Back To Beat #19/16 UGA, 38-31". Tennessee Volunteers Athletics. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  38. ↑ "Georgia at Tennessee Box Score, October 10, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Rewinding Alabama's 19-14 win against Tennessee". AL.com. Retrieved 2018-08-17.
  40. ↑ "South Carolina at Tennessee Box Score, November 7, 2015". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  41. ↑ "Tennessee Volunteers School History". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Outback Bowl – Northwestern vs Tennessee Box Score, January 1, 2016". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  43. ↑ "2016 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  44. ↑ "Tennessee Volunteers School History". Sports Reference. Retrieved July 1, 2017.
  45. ↑ Rihannon Potkey (January 28, 2017). "Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs, Cam Sutton help South win Senior Bowl". usatoday.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  46. ↑ Mike Griffith (April 5, 2017). "Mel Kiper Jr.:Tennessee's Josh Dobbs possible 2nd round NFL draft pick". seccountry.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  47. ↑ "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". si.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  48. ↑ "Joshua Dobbs, DS #8 QB, Tennessee". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  49. ↑ Jeff Legwold (April 22, 2017). "Ranking 2017's draft top 100 players". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  50. ↑ "Jeremy Fowler twitter". twitter.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  51. ↑ Josh Alper (March 23, 2017). "Patrick Mahomes, Joshua Dobbs had private workouts with Chargers". profootballtalk.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  52. ↑ Herbie Teope. "Saints held private workout with Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs: Source". Nola.com. Retrieved May 13, 2017.
  53. ↑ "Walter Football: Prospect Workouts/Visits". walterfootball.com. Retrieved May 31, 2017.
  54. ↑ McGinn, Bob (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the NFL draft prospects: Quarterbacks". PackersNews.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  55. ↑ "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles – Joshua Dobbs". NFL.com.
  56. ↑ Patra, Kevin (April 29, 2017). "Pittsburgh Steelers draft Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs". NFL.com.
  57. ↑ "Sportrac.com: Joshua Dobbs contract". Sportrac.com. Retrieved May 27, 2017.
  58. ↑ "It's official: Dobbs to start friday vs. Giants". Steelers.com. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
  59. ↑ "NFL Player Profile: Joshua Dobbs". NFL.com. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
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