Top 10 interior offensive linemen in the 2021 NFL Draft

#2 2021 NFL Draft Prospect: Landon Dickerson (Alabama)

6’ 6”, 325 pounds; RS SR

Landon Dickerson

An Under Armour All-American coming out of high school, Landon Dickerson began his career at Florida State, where he became the first true freshman to start on the O-line for the Seminoles since 1982.

He was a starter in year two before suffering a knee injury four games in and then transferring to this SEC powerhouse at the end of the season as a graduate transfer.

Dickerson started all 13 games his first year with the Crimson Tide, first at right guard and then the final nine at center (which he had never played before), earning second-team All-SEC honors.

Last season, he started every game at the pivot of the National Championship team, until he tore his ACL in the SEC title game – but not before being honored with the Rimington Trophy for the best center in the country and being named a unanimous All-American.

Body-wise, Dickerson is a center with offensive tackle measurements (81-inch wingspan) but defensive tackle thickness. Dickerson displays excellent snap-to-step quickness and routinely is an instant ahead of the defense.

In the run game, what really stands out is his understanding for what his assignments are, whether it’s establishing inside position with the play-side foot away from the point of attack, to simply not allow penetration, or at times blocking down on three-techniques in combination with his guards pulling, where he takes a flat angle to basically just seal them.

However, Dickerson has good mobility himself to execute skip- and wrap-around pulls on power runs- On wide zone runs, he consistently reaches A-gap defenders, where he keeps pulling his backside foot across and bringing his hips all the way around, or just keeps riding those blocks, when he can’t quite cross their face.

Yet, he also stays under good control climbing up to the second level with paced steps and weight in the center of his frame, plus he shows good peripheral vision for the back-side linebacker trying to shoot the gap, giving him a bump and keep working up to his man.

At the same time, he has the power to blow guys off the ball in short-yardage situations, especially on quarterback sneaks, and knock them off balance from the side. On duo, he and his guards create plenty of vertical movement, which allowed Najee Harris to stay patient behind their blocks. He can keep pushing opponent through the echo of the whistle as a pancake specialist. In the screen game, he looks to embarrass smaller defenders in the open field.

In the pass game, Dickerson provides a good combination of being able to mirror and anchor. You see him land his hands inside the chest of nose-tackles or one-techniques consistently, where he keeps his elbows and the grip on the defender tight, and his length helps him guide quicker rushers trying to get around him on wide angles.

When he’s not matched up with anybody, he keeps his head on a swivel and when possible both hands on either guard, while actively looking for work and he delivers some massive shots from the side. Dickerson really controls those A-gaps for the Crimson Tide in protection and you rarely saw any pressure up those these last couple of years, for an offense that scored over 47 points in each of them.

On slide protections, you see the Alabama center quickly gain ground laterally, to square up the A-gap rusher and you also see him get in front of defensive tackles on play-action, when Bama pulled their guards, in a way that forces the linebackers to step up.

Morever, he does a brilliant of identifying and communicating any games up front, while working in concert with his guards. Over these last two seasons as a starter for the Crimson Tide, Dickerson surrendered just one sack and 11 total pressures on 805 pass-blocking snaps.

Dickerson’s height makes pad-level a bit of an issue at times, as he doesn’t get underneath defensive linemen and especially later on during plays, he’s not really in a power position anymore. He doesn’t necessarily uproot D-tackles on down/angle-blocks.

Elite power-rushers could give him some trouble because of that and he would certainly benefit from not being left on an island in protection too much. You see him get shook at little bit at times by linebackers, who jab one way and then go through the opposite gap, when those two are matched up one-on-one.

Dickerson had the benefit of playing between All-American guard Deonte Brown and another top five interior offensive line recruit. And of course he tore his ACL in SEC title game on December 19th, So he could potentially redshirt a year or at least get onto the field late.

He was a scrappy, worker bee-type of player during his tenure at Alabama. While his height is more challenging than helpful in some regards, he is the most technically sound and probably the most scheme-proof center prospect in this draft.

Moreover, he could move to either guard spot as well. If not for his ACL injury,Dickerson could go late in the first round.