48. Kyle Dugger, S, Lenoir-Rhyne
Height: 6’1″ Weight: 217
40-Yard Dash: 4.49 seconds
Bench Press: 17 reps
Vertical Jump: 42.0 inches
Broad Jump: 134 inches
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: A late bloomer out of Decatur, Georgia, Dugger got no offers from major programs and took the one offer he got, from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. Over five seasons, he totaled 237 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, 36 passes defensed, and 10 interceptions — mostly against schools like St. Augustine’s, Tusculum, Mars Hill, Limestone, and Catawba.
“The competitor in me definitely wanted more at times but I wouldn’t describe it as boredom,” Dugger said at the combine, when asked if it was tedious to face “lesser” competition. “It was, how am I going to use this situation where I can’t look at everything I do well and say I’m so great. I’d really dive into the details of what I’m doing and see if I’m doing what I’m supposed to do, or is it me getting away with it because of the level of the competition.”
Stat to Know: There isn’t a lot of charting off of Lenior-Rhyne tape, but during the week of Senior Bowl practice, Dugger forced two incompletions and had an interception in five one-on-one reps.
Strengths: Feisty intermediate defender with range for days and a good sense of where he’s going with it. Explodes to the ballcarrier when he needs to, but Dugger can also be patient to force the stop or turnover. Can run trail bail coverage as a deep defender, tracking receivers while reading the backfield. Wrap tackler who can catch up with ballcarriers out of his assignment as easily as he tracks people over the middle. Sifts fearlessly through blockers. Running a slant or a drag in his area can be a painful experience.
Weaknesses: Dugger did his best to allay any fears about strength of competition during his Senior Bowl week, but there’s no way to erase a litany of relatively weak opponents. As such, his evaluation of clouded by a lack of “like-as-like” competition. Will need to expand his recognition against more complex offense, and better players executing them. Too many times in college, he got away with being bigger and faster. Struggled with zone landmarks at times during Senior Bowl week.
Conclusion: Senior Bowl week is more crucial for small-school players than it is for anybody else, because it’s the one time NFL decision-makers can see how those players go up against what might be superior athletic talent if the player in question doesn’t show up as he would like. Dugger threw out the question marks and proved his worth at the highest level, and though there are things that make him developmental at this point, he has the potential to become a top-notch box defender and occasional deep safety at the next level.
NFL Comparison: Kam Chancellor. Dugger has more range than Chancellor did — there were those who thought Chancellor should be a linebacker when he came out of Virginia Tech. But Chancellor landed in the perfect spot — Pete Carroll’s Cover-1/Cover-3 defense — and became the Legion of Boom’s shot-caller and enforcer. Dugger shows the same toughness and competitive temperament. It will be fascinating to see how he adapts to the NFL, but the building blocks are certainly there.