Watch New Patriots Receiver Aaron Dobson Make a Ridiculous Catch

The Patriots picked seven players over the course of the just-completed NFL Draft, but none one has amassed a highlight reel as hypnotic as Aaron Dobson’s. In fact, the second-round pick, a 6-foot-3 receiver out of Marshall, has been an Internet sensation for well over a year. On November 26, 2011, he made a catch against East Carolina that in hindsight still kind of defies description:

I’m not sure I’d be able to even hold a squishy Nerf ball like that, let alone try to catch one with that kind of grip. I’ve watched the replay 25 times or so and still can’t wrap my head around it. The touchdown grab actually ended up No. 2 on ESPN’s 2011 top plays list.

“It was crazy,” Dobson told the Huntington, West Virginia, Herald-Dispatch back then. “The ball was in the air and I knew I had to make a play on it. [East Carolina defensive back Derek Blacknall] was kind of in front of me. The ball was kind of over there and I tried to go behind his back with two hands and he grabbed my left arm. And it just stuck to my hand and I just brought it in. It was crazy.”

In this year’s draft, the Patriots took a handful of defensive players, including three from Rutgers. From a practical standpoint, that’s great. For the past few seasons, New England’s defense has been porous. Still, I’m most excited about Dobson. Apparently, he’s over the moon himself. The prospect of catching Tom Brady’s passes tends to make young receivers swoon.

“Oh, man,” he told reporters. “That right there… you can’t beat that. The best quarterback in the league, you know. It’s just amazing because I’ve been watching him for so long and now, I get the chance to play with him — it’s a blessing.”