ESPN recently ran down their top-10 players at each position in the NFL via a polling of NFL personnel from executives to coaches, scouts and players. In it, Stefon Diggs and Dion Dawkins land in similar territory.
Last week ESPN ranked their 10-best wideouts. In doing so, Diggs landed just outside the top-10 with an “honorable mention” but still had some good reviews from anonymous NFL personnel which was cited.
The same happened for his new Bills teammate in Dawkins.
Not many would expect Dawkins, only a three-year pro, to land in the top-10 of offensive tackles in the NFL. But he’s knocking on the door with a “honorable mention” and he had some strong praise to go along with it:
Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills: “He’s got everything you want. He’s just inconsistent. Nimble feet, anchor, punch.” — NFC exec
In Dawkins, the Bills have a guy that’s right near the top of their “to-do list” currently. The Bills traded up in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft to take Dawkins. Since then, he’s had his ups and downs, but most of his “inconsistent” play has had to do with the work of those around him. Dawkins burst onto the scene in 2017, producing a productive rookie season having surprisingly been put into the all-important left tackle spot in his first season. There he thrived next Pro Bowlers Richie Incognito and Eric Wood.
Then suddenly in 2018, both of those All-Stars retired, leaving Dawkins alone on an island. Aside from Dawkins that season, the rest of Buffalo’s offensive line play was very poor.
Then as the story goes, the Bills revamped their situation in the trenches last season, adding Quinton Spain and Mitch Morse next to Dawkins, and his play got much better once again. On to that “to-do list” now, Dawkins is entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2020. The Bills’ focus during the remainder of this offseason should be to lock players from that year’s draft up to long-term deals, namely Dawkins and linebacker Matt Milano.
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