Johnny Dixon 2024 NFL Draft Profile
We covered his running mate Kalen King and his profile, now we move on to the other Penn State Cornerback Johnny Dixon. Dixon was in Mobile for the Senior Bowl but left due to a hip injury, and we have nothing from the NFL Combine, so we must go back to the regular season for our notes. What does his 2024 NFL Draft profile look like? Let’s talk about it.
Dixon is a South Carolina transfer, where he spent his first two seasons playing for the Gamecocks. He became a starter his sophomore year and played well before leaving for Happy Valley. He had better numbers at South Carolina than at Penn State, so maybe the change of scenery wasn’t smart. For a corner, though, he did excel in pass rush as a Blitzer, totaling three and 4.5 sacks over the last two seasons.
Johnny Dixon is a pure man-to-man corner. I love watching him in press coverage on the line, as he uses his hands well to jam his receiver. He makes for a tough time within the first five yards. Hips flip well when breaking to the boundary. The internal clock ticks true with this one. Pretty solid anticipation on throws to break up a pass. Active hands when the ball is in the air for tips.
Not a ton of juice out of Johnny Dixon. The backpedal is fine but when flipping the hips totally around for go routes, they feel stiff. Spacial awareness when playing in zone coverage gets a minus. At times he appears lost, looking for a guy in his zone more than watching the Quarterback. Not that he can do anything about his size, but 5’11 corners don’t totally do it for me. I don’t know that I could trust him in the red zone.
Both Johnny Dixon and Kalen King are a bit underwhelming, admittedly Dixon is better than King at least. I think Dixon is more NFL-ready, but I still don’t love the outlook right now. Dixon ends up with a fifth-round grade for me. I think his man coverage skills, when he’s on, are solid enough to get him some love going into a training camp. He would likely hit special teams while he learns the ropes of the NFL, but he could be a nice rotational piece.
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