During the game it was hard to see many positives, despite the win. However, on second glance Kevin Dodd looked great and deserves a post of his own rather than just one that groups together all the rookies on the Tennessee Titans.
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While Kevin Dodd’s statline may not blow you away, there is a lot to like from his first performance as a starter/heavy rotational player. Let’s break down a few key points.
Power and punch
One of the things that jumped out on Dodd’s film from college was his strong punch and leg drive that came with it. When a pass rusher can combine those two attributes along with nice hips, he can usually cause fits for offensive tackles in charge of blocking him.
Dodd did a great job getting inside the chest of his blocker and powering him back into the pocket, hindering Matt Stafford’s technique and his mobility.
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FanSided
Setting the edge
As a run defender he did an excellent job setting the edge against a pair of very talented running backs. His contain ability on the outside really hurt the Lions offense when they tried to force defensive backs and linebackers to get involved in the run game.
This is huge because it allows defenders to read their keys and makes them less susceptible to play action passes. As you all know our defenders are good enough to win, but if they start biting on play action it could get ugly quick.
Balanced rusher
Kevin Dodd probably won’t be a 10 sack edge rusher in the NFL, there are only a handful of those guys in the league anyway. However, where he does win and help this team is with his change up as a pass rusher.
If you are the tackle lining up opposite Dodd, one play he can bull rush you right into your quarterback’s lap. The next play he could go inside and before you know it Jurrell Casey is looping around and you have already lost. Then on 3rd and long you could be preparing for his power and inside move and he can bend and go outside with a rip move and sack Matt Stafford.
That was exactly what happened Sunday against the Detroit Lions.
Effort
There were several times when he had finished his assignment or when he saw the play go away, instead of loafing around or just taking shots at his guy, he turned and took good angles to go and try to help.
For a defender switching from 4-3 DE to 3-4 OLB, he is probably already running more than he has since high school, so to see him give 100% when he is on the field is a surprise. That is a lot rarer than you would expect, but it is what you have come to expect from Jon Robinson draft picks.