LA Chargers: Potential late-round gems that have met with the Chargers
By Tyler Gallagher
Kevin Dotson, OG, University of Louisiana-Lafayette
Kevin Dotson, projected to be a late-round pick in the draft this year, had a private visit with the Chargers.
Dotson played all but one of his games at right guard for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns. In the 2019 season, Dotson was an elite interior lineman in the country, and he earned AP First-Team All-American honors.
While Dotson clearly performed well all-around to earn this honor, he has truly made his name as a massive road-grating run-blocker.
U LA RT Robert Hunt and RG Kevin Dotson are both legit NFL players More than held their own vs SEC comp (MSU) early this year. Dotson can dominate with his upper body and also move, while Hunt is solid in pass pro and possesses mobility, as well. #SnapScout pic.twitter.com/lKqYio2rML
— Chad Reuter (@chad_reuter) December 26, 2019
Despite being upright in the play above, Dotson is able to push the opposing defensive end away from the play with ease by upper body strength alone.
Clearly, Dotson already has the size (6’4″ and 321 pounds), strength, and frame (33″ arms) that would set him up to handle some of the strongest interior defensive linemen at the next level.
Despite all of this, Kevin Dotson is another player that did not receive a Combine invite, and his Pro Day, scheduled for April 1st, was canceled.
Fortunately for the Chargers, this may allow Dotson to drop. The only major knock on Dotson’s game is his pass protection.
He tends to be too aggressive in pass protection, preferring to attack rushers rather than settling into a stance to keep a clean pocket and avoid getting beat. He also struggles at times against speed rushers, as he does not display good lateral mobility.
Fortunately, most of his struggles in pass protection are due to mental mistakes that offensive line coach James Campen should be able to fix. If the Chargers believe that Dotson can be coached into better pass protection and has enough positional flexibility to play at left guard, then Dotson could immediately compete with Dan Feeney and Forrest Lamp for a starting spot on the offensive line.