dbair1967

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AHMAD DIXON, SS 6'0, 205lbs, 4.55


STRENGTHS: Solidly built with adequate length and muscle definition...good straight-line athlete and fast downhill with strong hands to finish...takes sharp angles to find the quickest route from A-to-B with an accurate first step, helping with his overall range...physical striker and throws his body around in run support - fierce, violent tackler...nice job working off contact and shedding blocks to make open-field stops...confident, fearless player and not afraid to jump routes to go after the ball - carries himself with a swagger...versatile and productive experience (38 career starts), lining up at LB, NB, SS - leaves school with 288 career tackles and multiple All-Big 12 honors.

WEAKNESSES: Needs to consistently wrap on tackle attempts and not just hit his target...plays wild and needs to stay under control and balanced to make consistent stops...stiff midsection and hips, inhibiting him from quickly changing directions...struggles in man coverage to find the ball and keep his feet moving to stick with targets downfield...awareness is still a work-in-progress, too often he is a step late to the play against the pass - too many incorrect reads with questionable diagnose skills...suspect ballskills and doesn't make enough plays on the ball...undisciplined striker and will get flagged for targeting and head-hunting, going for the knockout blow...needs to keep his wits and stay under control, both physically and emotionally...character needs investigated after Sept. 2013 assault charges after repeatedly punching a fan in the face that he accused of breaking into his apartment (charges later dropped). --Dane Brugler

PLAYER OVERVIEW A four-star DB recruit, Dixon was born and raised in Waco and originally committed to Texas, but changed his mind and committed to hometown Baylor. Then he decided to switch commitments and enroll at Tennessee, but when the coaching staff in Knoxville changed, he returned back to his Baylor commitment. After playing sparingly in 2010 as a true freshman, Dixon became the starter at Baylor's nickel "Bear" position (hybrid LB/S), collecting 191 total tackles as a sophomore and junior. He moved to a more traditional SS role as a senior and while his tackle stats were down, he set a career-high with 8 passes defended, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors.

Dixon is an extremely active run defender and loves to get his hands dirty, but needs to clean up his tackling technique and button up his reliability as a striker to eliminate the illegal hits - has the on-field temperament you want. He is still a work-in-progress in coverage and will be asked to do several things in the NFL that he never did in college - will need time to adjust to the pro game. Dixon is an adequate size/speed athlete with a passionate competitive drive, but lacks the discipline to be an every-down starter - mid-to-late round pick with the makings of a core special teams guy and back-up SS.
 

dbair1967

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Dude totally broke down on the call from the Cowboys, couldn't hardly talk at all.
 

dbair1967

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Cowboys pick Ahmad Dixon in 7th

May, 10, 2014
By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas – The pick: Ahmad Dixon, Baylor safety, in the seventh round.

My take: Of the three compensatory picks in the seventh round, the Cowboys went for a safety who will contribute on special teams and will compete with a log jam at the free safety spot. The Cowboys need depth and competition in the secondary given the struggles of last season. While Dixon might not be a highly regarded player, he could emerge into something down the line. The Cowboys like his aggressive style of play and he started 39 games in his last three seasons. Dixon said he learned how to play football by watching the Cowboys while growing up in Hewitt, Texas.

Notable: At Baylor, he had 13 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. ... His 40-yard dash time was 4.64 and his vertical jump was 32-inches.
 

wyvrn

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Appears to be a box safety that cannot cover. Not like we had enough of those.
 

boozeman

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Appears to be a box safety that cannot cover. Not like we had enough of those.

Either we don't value coverage from a safety or we just don't know what the hell we are looking for.

One way or the other, it is why there is speculation every draft that we need a safety.
 

cmd34

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Either we don't value coverage from a safety

Which is crazy if you think of the way we have lost games late in the game so often. Just an occasional pass broken up or INT might have been the difference in making the playoffs. I think Jerry is football dumb but he can't be so dumb that he doesn't realize that bad Safety play has killed this team. Can he?


or we just don't know what the hell we are looking for
Probably both. AOA, Matt Johnson, JJ Wilcox, the obsession with Barry Church, now Ahmad Dixon and then half-ass efforts in free agency like Brodney Pool and Will Allen. I really wanted to believe it was Dave Campo's incompetence but Jerome Henderson hasn't made an ounce of difference.
 

dbair1967

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Appears to be a box safety that cannot cover. Not like we had enough of those.

For a guy who cant cover, appeared to be some clips in that video showing a safety who was covering.
 

LAZARUS_LOGAN

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Which is crazy if you think of the way we have lost games late in the game so often. Just an occasional pass broken up or INT might have been the difference in making the playoffs. I think Jerry is football dumb but he can't be so dumb that he doesn't realize that bad Safety play has killed this team. Can he?


He overvalues CBs, and undervalues safeties, yet he want s defense like Seattle's.
 

cmd34

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I really think it has more to do with Jones being so desperate to be right about Barry Church, Matt Johnson, and J.J. Wilcox. He thinks they are hidden gems found under his watch and the rest of the world will see what an amazing GM he is.
 

ThoughtExperiment

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Exactly.

One thing this organization lacks is the vision to determine when "This young guy is going to be a player, he just needs more time" vs "This guy is just another third round project who might make it but we can't possibly count on him". A good coach with a lot of experience can do that. Garrett certainly can't. Now maybe Marinelli can, because I do think he knows what he's doing. But I don't know how much of a secondary specialist he is anyway. And the GM could be listening to someone like Henderson who hasn't been coaching forever and hasn't proven he's a great coach or talent evaluator to begin with.
 

NoShame

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I actually like this pick.. For a 7th rounder can't really expect much more. Hopefully he works out.
 
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