Dickerson’s leadership could be big for Dolphins
Landon Dickerson promised he wasn’t going to take part in the University of Alabama Pro Day on Tuesday because, after all, he’s still rehabilitating from a late 2020 season ACL knee injury and ensuing surgery.
So all the scouts understood.
But when quarterback Mac Jones began his throwing session, surprisingly, there was Dickerson snapping to his quarterback directly and from shotgun formation.
Never mind Dickerson still isn’t close to 100 percent and is wearing a heavy brace on his left leg as he recovers.
That says something about Dickerson and his relationship with his quarterback. So does the fact he hovered around other teammates as they performed their vertical leaps and ran their 40-yard sprints for scouts in Tuscaloosa.
The entire time he was urging them on.
Encouraging them.
Being a great teammate and leader.
“Guys gravitate to him,” former NFL front office executive Scott Pioli, now an NFL Network analyst, said on air while also noting the 6-6, 325-pounder played only one year at Alabama as a graduate transfer from FSU.
And all of this brings us to the Dolphins.
The Dolphins need a starting center for the future because their answer at the position for 2021 seems to be the signing of free agent Matt Skura.
Except Skura got a oneyear deal.
And although Dickerson didn’t play center before 2019 he was the nation’s best center as the 2021 Rimington Trophy winner.
See where we’re going with this?
Dickerson, who might not be ready to fully compete at the start of training camp in July or even be ready to play at the start of the NFL season in September, is still a good pick for a team thinking years rather than months ahead.
And the fact he’s not 100 percent might turn him into something of a draft bargain — perhaps a low second-round or even third-round pick instead of a low first- or high secondround pick.
“It’s going really good. I’m right on schedule, I’m right where I want to be,” Dickerson said of his ongoing recovery. “So I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“You wake up and take it day by day. The injury’s there, you just have to give it time and put all your effort into rehabbing and doing everything you can to get better. Really, injuries hit different people different ways — mentally, physically. I just look at it as a moment that I can use to draw off of and learn about myself.”
Teams wanting to learn about Dickerson will obviously evaluate his game tapes to judge his physical abilities.
“They can watch the film and decide if they want me or not,” Dickerson said. “Also, they can talk to our trainers and doctors if they want to figure out more in detail.
“I’m really strong physically. Playing for Florida State and Alabama, it’s a good learning opportunity to get around different coaches and see different styles of coaching, different techniques, fundamentals, different ways offenses are run. So it’s been a great learning experience and go through those coaches and be able to pick and pull different things I’ve been able to use.”
But there’s also that intangible about Dickerson that simply impresses. In short, he’s a dedicated guy and teammates love him.
“I think really the biggest thing is your commitment and dedication to the game,” he said. “You can’t really be distracted by things, especially at the professional level, even the collegiate level. The collegiate level you’re obviously dealing with school and that needs to be the first priority, but as a professional athlete you’re getting paid to play football and that’s what you need to focus on doing.”
He’s also like a collegiate Ryan Fitzpatrick of sorts because of the way teammates respect him.
That was clear during the national championship game between Alabama and Ohio State in which an injured Dickerson, unable to play, still was sent into the game for the final snap out of the victory formation.
And after that snap, Alabama players enthusiastically celebrated Dickerson’s participation before they started celebrating their latest national championship.
“Really, in the national championship game it was fun to live that moment,” Dickerson said. “I don’t really think there’s good words to describe everything that happened there.
“So much happened with this year — SEC schedule, COVID, not knowing if we were going to play. Being able to go in for just one snap and be with my teammates one last time was a special moment.”
The Dolphins could seriously use that type of player.
Indeed, a trip to the Alabama Pro Day — the school is actually having two pro days this spring — is a great way to fill any NFL roster, and the Dolphins have previously taken advantage of that, drafting players such as Kenyan Drake, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Raekwon Davis and, of course, Tua Tagovailoa.
Dickerson, DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle were among the players who did not perform Tuesday.
The star this day was cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who did everything scouts asked.
He measured in at 6-2 and 208 pounds with a 39-inch vertical leap and an unofficial 4.42 time per one scout in one of his 40-yard dashes. He timed unofficially at 4.46 on another stopwatch from a scout.
Yeah, scouts are human. Jones, who threw for a record 4,500 passing yards with 41 touchdown passes and four interceptions last season, threw for scouts. His script included 50 throws, but his major assignment was to prove an ability to move around inside and outside the pocket.
Jones delivered a solid but not necessarily dynamic throwing session. It was steady but not eyepopping with athleticism.
“I don’t question his athleticism at all,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told the NFL Network.
The so-called measurables for Jones included a 32-inch vertical leap and a 4.85 unofficial time in the 40. Another scout had Jones at 4.86 and a third had him at 4.87. So fair to say Jones, who is a primarily pocket passer anyway, ran in the mid 4.8s.
“He’s sneaky fast,” Saban said.