It's not often you find a player that immediately becomes a contributor from his freshman season. However, that's the exact case with Kenneth Dixon. A senior out of Louisiana Tech, Dixon bursted onto the scene in college, posting a freshman NCAA record of 27 touchdowns. Fast forward four years, Dixon finds himself as a consensus top-5 running back for the 2016 NFL Draft.
At 5-foot-10, 212 pounds, running a 4.54 40-yard dash, Dixon is the type of runner that is extremely hard to bring down. He lowers his shoulder and using his low center of gravity, he excels in picking up the dirty yards. On top of his power running style, Dixon is a playmaker in the passing game as well. Let's take a look at Dixon and see how he projects to the NFL.
The first thing that stood out to me with Dixon's running style was his ability to cut and evade tackles.
Something needs to be said about his power as well. Here's a clip of Dixon pulling two defenders with him in the endzone.
Going back to earlier, I said how Dixon is an excellent pass-catcher to go with his power running style. Here's an example of what Dixon can do out of the backfield in the NFL.
Here's just another example of Dixon making plays out of the backfield.
Here's a clip of Dixon showing off his power. Notice how he's simply running off defenders. Also, take note that he's wearing a No. 1 jersey in this clip. His jersey ripped a few plays earlier.
Dixon showing a ridiculous combination of athleticism and power. These two traits are going to make Dixon a really, really fun pro.
Dixon's balance is also extremely impressive and that has a lot to do with his power.
Despite being so powerful, Dixon is excellent at changing direction. His feet are extremely quick and when you pair that with his twitch-speed, it leads to a really good ball-carrier.
Dixon seems to be the full package. Not only can he run with power in between and outside the tackles, but he's also a playmaker out of the backfield. He catches the ball with ease and he's extremely dangerous with the ball in his hands. Dixon is the type of player that isn't scheme-specific. He can do a ton of things at the NFL level and he won't be limited by the type of scheme he's in.
How would Dixon fit in Dallas? Darren McFadden has one more year on his contract and while he played extremely well as the starter in 2015, the Cowboys will be looking into adding a back to fit their zone-blocking scheme. Dixon makes a ton of sense, as his combination of power, speed, athleticism, and cutting ability make him a real solid fit in the Cowboys' offense.
Games watched: Western Kentucky, Arkansas State, Oklahoma and Illinois (2014).
Next up on the docket: Paul Perkins
