Around 9 p.m. last night, Horned Frog fans everywhere did a little cheer for the Washington Redskins, as TCU Wide Receiver Josh Doctson was selected as the 22nd player overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. Doctson could be seen hugging his mom and Coach Gary Patterson before going on stage where he posed for photos with his Redskins hat and jersey. He made fans extra proud as he did it all in a purple-and-black suit and even put his frogs up for the cameras.
Doctson's first steps on the TCU football field weren't in the form of a player, but a Bleacher Creature. He would run across the football field with other kids before each game. When it came time to play in college, TCU didn't show interest so he played one season at Wyoming before returning to his family in Texas. He walked on at TCU and quickly proved he had always belonged there. His Instagram posts remembering his roots have been known to bring a tear to the eye of this writer (#sportscry).
The All-American wowed fans for the last three seasons with incredible (and often acrobatic) catches. Last season, Doctson topped all Big 12 receivers (despite missing three games due to injury) with 61 catches and 1,001 yards receiving in conference play. His 11 touchdown catches were one shy of the lead.
Doctson is the second Horned Frog in the last three seasons and third in the past seven years to be drafted in the first round. Selecting Horned Frog players in the NFL draft has proven to be a wise choice by many teams as LaDainian Tomlinson (RB, San Diego Chargers), Jerry Hughes (DE, Indianapolis Colts), Andy Dalton (QB, Cincinnati Bengals) and Jason Verrett (CB, San Diego Chargers) all went on to find success on Sundays. All but Andy Dalton of the aforementioned players were selected in the first round of the draft. The stats haven't gone unnoticed - ESPN.com recently ranked TCU No. 1 in the nation for developing NFL talent.
A native of Mansfield, Texas, Doctson received his TCU degree in Film/Television/Digital Media in December 2015.
