The Bills recently put left tackle Dion Dawkins in their future plans for many years. The former second-round pick of the team from the 2017 NFL Draft inked a four-year extension this offseason.
ESPN recently added some insight as to why that was a good decision by the Bills. The world-wide leader randomly polled folks around the NFL this offseason to peg some of the league’s best players and in doing so, also labeled some guys who were considered some of the most underrated in the game.
That’s where Dawkins falls as he’s the first name on ESPN’s list of the NFL’s most underrated players heading into 2020. While polling an NFL executive, Dawkins was called potentially a “premier” player of the future.
Here’s the full analysis on Dawkins:
Dion Dawkins, OT, Buffalo Bills
Landing a four-year, $60 million contract this month gave Dawkins the kind of attention he was already receiving from many NFL people. Dawkins’ name came up several times in conversation about the game’s best tackles.
Inconsistency is the knock. But once he cleans that up, watch out.
“He’s got everything — nimble feet, anchor, punch,” said an NFC exec. “Can be premier.”
Dawkins earned a respectable 73.4 Pro Football Focus grade last season, but expect that to rise in his fourth year as he gets more comfortable in Brian Daboll’s system.
And not even mentioned is Dawkins’ abilities with his hands. He’s already got a few touchdowns in his career and there’s probably more on the way. But Dawkins is certainly the cornerstone of Buffalo’s offensive line going forward. With him inked to an extension, the Bills will probably keep their continuity around in the trenches for awhile, too. Including the upcoming campaign, the Bills will have Quinton Spain, Mitch Morse and Cody Ford all under contract for at least the next three seasons. Not a bad idea.
[lawrence-related id=69056,68962,68851,68841]