Film Study: LB Lance Dixon

One thing to bear in mind when reviewing Dixon’s highlight film from his junior season is that it’s his first year playing linebacker. A former safety, Dixon was moved down into the box ahead of his junior year at West Bloomfield (Mich.) High and played a flex role of a hybrid linebacker-safety in 2017. As is the case then, many of the plays in the attached highlights come from a linebacker position that’s nearly identical to the Sam LB in PSU’s defense – for which Dixon was recruited.

There is plenty of room to grow for Dixon, both into his 6-foot-2, 200-pound frame and as an every-down linebacker, but considering how this is his first season at the position, he displays the tools that college coaches like defensive coordinator Brent Pry covet and can polish quickly into someone who can make an impact in multiple phases of the game.

Right off the bat of this highlight film, Dixon showcases short-area quickness, as he hugs the line of scrimmage in order to take the quickest route to the ball carrier and make a forceful stop for a loss. On the next two plays, he demonstrates the physicality that helped influence his high school coaches into moving Dixon closer to the ball as LB. At the :22 mark, Dixon shows he also the footwork for the position, as he stays square to the LOS and ball carrier before making the tackle.

At times during his first season as a LB, Dixon gets washed downfield when two or more opponents come his direction, but he routinely shows the ability to fight through blocks. At the :29 mark, Dixon collides with the lead blocker to blow up the end around, and then at the 1:00 mark he sticks the WR’s block attempt with a two-handed punch before making the tackle.

While Dixon flashes the physical tools needed to be a strong college LB, he also shows the mentality that’ll help him succeed. Around the :35 mark, he sheds the block, while again staying square to the LOS, in order to make the fourth-down stop. On the next play, his discipline and awareness stands out by how he bounces off a block before taking down the quarterback on the option keeper. Then it’s with determination that Dixon fights through another block at the 2:00 mark in order to make the stop.

There’s no doubting that Dixon has some of the natural gifts that will help him succeed as a linebacker, but there are a few plays later in this highlight film that show how he’ll always have a little bit of DB in him.

His first play of pass coverage comes around the 1:45 mark, when the slot WR catches one in front of him before Dixon closes in quickly to prevent any YAC. At the 2:38 mark, Dixon breaks up a pass, despite giving up outside leverage to the slot WR. A better-placed ball might have been caught, but Dixon shows the reactionary speed to catch up. At the 3:00 mark, Dixon jumps a route and nearly picks it off, and then at the 4:18 mark, there are two consecutive plays in which Dixon blankets his WR to prevent a pass thrown his direction. Dixon again goes step-for-step with the WR on a fly route at the 4:35 mark and flashes his makeup speed at 4:42 when the WR gets past him on the jump but Dixon recovers to disrupt the completion.

A defensive athlete in the truest sense, Dixon seems to have both the mindset and running ability that could make him a valuable special teams contributor as a freshman. It’s not out of the question that he might need a year or two of molding before he fully settles into a LB role at the college level, but the upside is off the charts here.