D’Cota Dixon does it again.
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Buccaneers at Redskins 11/16/14
The other day we talked about how stellar of a camp UDFA Safety D’Cota Dixon was having. Well, so far that hasn’t let up. The safety managed to pull down another INT in camp. The pass was intended for Mike Evans and would more than likely have been an end zone run had he caught it. Now, this doesn’t seem like big news until you learn a few things about the undrafted safety.
Rookie saftey D’Cota Dixon with the leap and interception off of Winston #BucsCamp @BN9 pic.twitter.com/3GQwcvokA9
— Spectrum Sports 360 (@SpecSports360) August 2, 2019
Coming into the 2019 draft, the NFL scouts were reserved on his skill set at a professional level. While his mental fortitude, positive attitude, and perseverance were undeniable, his ball skills were noted to be lacking.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein listed his strengths and weaknesses on his draft profile.
- Tremendous mental toughness
- Ability to overcome personal adversity and succeed is well-documented
- Weight-room warrior and explosive tester
- Deployed around the field over the last two seasons
- Decent plant-and-drive from his backpedal
- Takes good angles in breaks on the ball
Separates ball from the receiver with pop at impact - Mirrors with some effectiveness in deep zone
- Consistent energy in run support
- Quick run diagnosis puts him in position to make plays
- Races hard into the alley to and looks up ball-carriers
- Plays the game under control
- Lack of height shows up on tape
- Struggles to compete at high-point giving away interception opportunities
- Likely to be out-positioned by NFL size down the field
- Average athleticism to pedal and transition in off-man
- Inconsistent ball production during career
- Takes a beat too long to break on the ball
- Lacks transition quickness and route anticipation to be a ball-hawk
- Average speed and below-average burst to close
- Aggressive flow to football causes some overruns
- Will need additional aggressiveness as NFL run stopper
The fact that an undrafted safety has pulled down an INT on one of the leagues best receivers is a massive deal, especially when talent scouts weren’t impressed with him overall. If he continues his trends, he could very well find him the front runner for a very impressive underdog story to tell around a dinner table for years to come.
