Duke Dawson R2 #56 CB Florida

[ZMart100]

Duke Dawson CB from FLA Pick #56
Combine:
5'11", 197 lbs, 31 1/2" arms, 9" hands
4.46 40 yard dash, 15 bench press reps
Pro Day:
4.39 short shuttle, 7.02 3-cone

NFL.com

Compact, strong slot corner who can beat up finesse receivers when he's allowed to crowd and disrupt the route release. Dawson can match and blanket underneath, but hip tightness shows up when he's forced to turn and run from a backpedal. Dawson can handle himself in man or zone coverage and is ready to work when run support calls. He has some length and speed limitations, but he has the instincts and cover talent to become a starting nickel cornerback.

CBSsports.com

Shorter, well-built cornerback. Good, not great hips when transitioning into backpedal and when planting and driving on the football. Necessary long speed and awareness when ball is approaching. Sturdy against the run but not spectacular in that area. Quality cornerback prospect.

'17 vs LSU

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'17 vs FSU

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'17 vs Michigan

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[ehaz]

I’d also encourage anyone who’s interested to take a look at his tape vs Texas A&M. 2 pass break ups and a tackle for a loss while holding pick #45 Christian Kirk to just a couple catches.

 

[SMU_Sox]

CB is a blindspot for me. That being said here we have another versatile prospect. 3 players. All generally considered to be very good and all have versatility. Dawson apparently is a high character guy and a good tackler and who has tracking and INT instincts. He also ran a 4.46 40 which allows him the top end speed to keep up with smaller receivers. I keep waiting to be disappointed by a pick. Yes, no LB yet. No QB. But we did need to grab a CB for the future and seems like this is an athletic guy who is very physical and is our kind of player. He might not have many elite traits but he has across the board very good ones if that makes sense.

ITP had him 49th, NDT Scouting guys did not like him as much. Jon Ledyard has concerns with him as a tackler and that he gives up too much separation. He also might be a liability against the run or against bigger receivers at his size. Usually I have an opinion but I am out of my league at CB. Just reporting what I find.

 

[Jed Zeppelin]

CB is a blindspot for me. That being said here we have another versatile prospect. 3 players. All generally considered to be very good and all have versatility. Dawson apparently is a high character guy and a good tackler and who has tracking and INT instincts. He also ran a 4.46 40 which allows him the top end speed to keep up with smaller receivers. I keep waiting to be disappointed by a pick. Yes, no LB yet. No QB. But we did need to grab a CB for the future and seems like this is an athletic guy who is very physical and is our kind of player. He might not have many elite traits but he has across the board very good ones if that makes sense.

ITP had him 49th, NDT Scouting guys did not like him as much. Jon Ledyard has concerns with him as a tackler and that he gives up too much separation. He also might be a liability against the run or against bigger receivers at his size. Usually I have an opinion but I am out of my league at CB. Just reporting what I find.

Sort of a general question out of curiosity—do you think scouting has caught up to the fact of slot corner being considered a different position? That a projected slot guy is ranked in this range tells me yes, but I don’t know enough to know. I feel like it is definitely true of slot receivers with the rise of very prominent players that have dominated there.

 

[SMU_Sox]

Sort of a general question out of curiosity—do you think scouting has caught up to the fact of slot corner being considered a different position? That a projected slot guy is ranked in this range tells me yes, but I don’t know enough to know. I feel like it is definitely true of slot receivers with the rise of very prominent players that have dominated there.

I think SuperNoMario and the ITP guys could answer that better than me but I know that the draft community I follow does.

 

[sodenj5]

I think SuperNoMario and the ITP guys could answer that better than me but I know that the draft community I follow does.

I think the rise of RBs and TEs as mismatches has forced a shift in defensive philosophy. Nickel is basically the base defense of the NFL now. Having 5 DBs is more important than having 3 or 4 LBs.

It puts a huge premium on guys like Derwin James or Minkah Fitzpatrick who can move around and be mismatch eliminators. Guys that can cover TEs in the slot or RBs out of the backfield are becoming more valuable than LBs. I’m not saying a LB can’t do that job, but hybrid safeties/slot defenders are becoming very important right now.

 

[SMU_Sox]

I listen to the PFF podcast. They were discussing the Pats draft and IRT to Dawson he was 38th in the nation 2 years ago in efficiency defending the slot and 3rd in the nation last year. Athleticism + success at the college level are good predictors of success in the NFL.

I think the rise of RBs and TEs as mismatches has forced a shift in defensive philosophy. Nickel is basically the base defense of the NFL now. Hybrid safeties/slot defenders are becoming very important right now.

Dawson at the very least can be that nickel corner and has the potential to be an outside guy.

To recap their first 3 picks: Michel is a 3-down pack who can catch, Wynn can play multiple spots on the offensive line (4/5), and Dawson can play either at outside or slot corner.