Ed Dickson NFL Draft scouting report

Ed Dickson

6'4, 249 pounds | Oregon | Tight end

Acceleration/Burst/Quickness: Very good athlete for the position that moves comfortably in space. Plants his feet and gets a strong burst from the still position. Nimble feet with the ball in his hands, misses tacklers.

Agility/Leaping Ability: Exceptional in jump ball situations. Sustains balance before his burst upward and reaches the ball at the apex of his leap. Flexible body that makes it look easy for him to adjust to poorly thrown balls.

Blocking: Spent a lot of time split out wide in Oregon’s offense. Does not show the ability to drive a defender back, does not lock on and lacks the power to control a defender. Too often does his assignment make his way in to the tackle. Good blocker in space that adjusts well to quicker defenders, but gets overwhelmed in the trenches.

Body Control/Adjustment: Good balance, always has his feet under him. No wasted motion as a runner. Can pluck the ball out of the air from any angle, makes a lot of difficult catches.

Concentration/Hands: Totaled 119 receptions over the past three years in a passing-friendly offense. Does a nice job of seeing the ball in to his hands and tucking it away. Visibly uncomfortable when crossing the middle, will short arm passes with a defender bearing down on him.

Release: While he does not have the strength to get off an in-line jam, Dickson uses short area quickness to spring himself free off the line. Consistently gets in to his route right away.

Route Running: Showed precise routes in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Can move like a wide receiver when it comes to getting in and out of breaks. Understands the usage of head/body fakes.

Separation: Is a weapon underneath because of his quick first few steps, but will not separate from defensive backs downfield because the straight line speed is not there.

Size/Length/Hand Size: Needs to spend a lot of time in an NFL weight training program. Lacks the bulk in his lower half, does not possess a lot of power come from his hands. Has a long, slender frame that is an asset as a receiver.

Speed: Average speed for the position, but below average for the role in which he plays. Does not separate downfield, gets caught from behind too often.

Vision/Run After the Catch: Was used heavily in the screen package at Oregon. Does well with blockers in front of him, has enough power to run through arm tackles but he is not exactly a playmaker.

Final Word: Ed Dickson is an attractive prospect when it comes to his ability to cause matchup problems across the board. He is a specific-package tight end however that will only fulfill certain roles. He cannot be trusted as an in-line blocker early in his career because he does not have the power that one needs in the trenches. He played in a spread offense at Oregon, but even down in Mobile he did not appear to be ready for the physicality tight ends play amongst in the NFL. He can be used early on as a reliable short passing game threat, for he has reliable hands and strong route running skills. He will likely be a mid rounder because of the limitations I discussed above.