Dakota Dozier: A Closer Look at the Furman LT
By Justin Partlow
Every year there seems to be an offensive lineman rise up draft boards who doesn’t come from one of the power conferences. This year the name seems to be Dakota Dozier, the LT from Furman. Dozier is a gritty, nasty and tough OL who projects well at either RT or G in the NFL. With his nasty mean streak, he’ll become a favorite of many OL coaches in the league. Dozier plays at a high level, and has played well against top end competition.
Technique:
With OL prospects, it’s imperative to see how refined or unrefined their technique is. With non-FBS OL this tends to hold true that they are more unrefined in their technique, since they are able to overpower opponents with natural ability. Dozier shows good technique on film, mainly with his impressive punch and ability to play balanced. Dozier plays with a nasty attitude, but he doesn’t play out of control. Dozier shows on film that he plays with a solid base, but in pass protection can get off balance. This is mainly due to technique issues with playing too upright. While a simple fix, it’s still noted as a flaw on a scouting evaluation. Dozier shows natural ability to bend naturally and not at the waist, making it easy to see the ability to still stick as a RT in the NFL.
Run Blocking:
When watching film for Dozier, the run blocking ability he displays is what makes him such an intriguing prospect. Dozier is someone who plays till the whistle blows and shows good spatial awareness on the field. Dozier will get to the 2nd level easily, and then find another defender to finish off. Dozier doesn’t get out of balance in the run game, and is able to make crucial blocks that can turn good plays into big time plays. If Dozier stays at RT in the NFL, he’ll be able to use his power in the run game to make plays early on.
Pass Blocking:
While pass blocking isn’t a problem for Dozier, it can stand to be improved upon. The biggest issues with Dozier stem from the technique flaws mentioned above. Dozier against speed rushers will have trouble, since he doesn’t have the technique able to match up with those players right now. Dozier plays too high in his stance in pass protection, and will allow speed rushers to beat him based off that technique error. The biggest issue I have with Dozier on film is that he doesn’t attack defenders in pass protection. While Dozier shows the ability to be a nasty player in the run game, he allows players to come to him in pass protection. Dozier is what I call a “Body catcher” in pass protection. He allows the players to get into his body at times and that leads to them being able to either get by him with a speed move, or use power moves to get by him. There is a lot to like with Dozier, but if he continues to let players get into his chest area on passing downs, he very well might see himself move to the interior OL. Dozier has a lot to offer, but the technique flaws will be against him if they aren’t fixed in the NFL.
With that being said, what round does Dozier project to in the NFL? I think the best overall fit for Dozier is at the OG position in the NFL, where he can use his natural power and run blocking ability to overpower opponents. I see Dozier somewhat as people saw Carl Nicks coming out of Nebraska as someone who fit better as a Guard than Tackle. Dozier has a ways to go to get anywhere near the ability of Nicks, but his natural power will be critical if he moves to the interior.
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