Film Don't Lie | Davion Dixon

By Jamie Uyeyama

April 22, 2023

4,554

More people were thinking about the next 2024 Notre Dame commit rather than when the Irish would get on the board with a 2025 commit, but we were all in for a surprise with a commitment from defensive tackle Davion Dixon‍.

Strength in the middle is the foundation of a strong defense and Notre Dame’s future defensive line just got a lot stronger with Dixon. He’s a disruptive player who can be a lot more than a space-eater on the interior of the line.

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 310

Projected Position: Defensive tackle

ISD Grade: 90 (4-star)

National Average Grade: 88.7 (3-star)

What he does best:

The first thing that jumps out about Dixon is how well he moves at his size. He has legitimate twitch and his motor is outstanding.

There aren’t many interior defensive linemen who are as big as he is at his age who win with quickness over power, but that’s Dixon’s game. He's a great fit as a one-gap penetrator who can move well laterally and make plays in the backfield.

Any time a defensive tackle is racking up double digit sacks in a season at any level, it gets your attention. He has plus pass rush potential because of his great get off and has a nice arm over move as well.

What he needs to improve:

Though he displays a good first step, his snap anticipation is inconsistent and his hands don’t match his feet. He needs to develop more upper body violence and establish his hands better to disengage from blocks quicker.

He’s not super long so quick hands are going to be essential for him to win when he gets to the college level.

What’s his ceiling?

Dixon is an exciting prospect with his athleticism at that size. It’s going to be interesting to see how big he is a couple of years from now when he gets to college, but he’s not going to have to worry about adding much in that time. He can concentrate on developing his strength and hands.

Where he gets to when it comes to playing more consistently at the point of attack is going to determine how good he can be at Notre Dame, but if that happens for him, he has a chance to become a dominant nose tackle down the road.

That’s his best position going forward, but he has the kind of traits that could see him play the 3-tech as well. He reminds me a lot of former Notre Dame defensive tackle Jacob Lacey prior to his shoulder injury that stunted his career.