Never one to give a quick answer to any question, Kevin Dodd stood there, smiled and carefully thought about how he would use his words when asked if he ever imagined having the kind of season he had in 2015.
“I never really thought about it,” he said honestly. “I thought I would have a good year and I had some personal goals for myself, but I never thought about wanting to do this, this and this. I mainly just wanted to help my team and my teammates out. I wanted to help us be the best defense we could be.”
Dodd said those words prior to his stellar performance against Alabama in the National Championship Game – the game that perhaps changed his life forever. It was already apparent, though not official at the time, Dodd was seriously leaning towards turning professional after the National Championship Game. But when he recorded seven tackles, including five tackles for loss and three sacks against what is considered the best program in college football, Dodd was no longer a hidden gem by the few NFL Scouts that knew about him. He was now a household name.
After the Tigers got back from Arizona, Dodd announced his intentions to forgo his senior year at Clemson and put his name in the NFL Draft. It was a smart move on his part for many reasons. For one, he needed to strike while the iron was hot. No defensive player in the country was playing as well as Dodd at the end of the season, including his teammate and friend – All-American defensive end Shaq Lawson.
When all of America was watching, Dodd thrived on the biggest stages. In the ACC Championship Game, Orange Bowl and National Championship Game combined, he tallied 16 tackles, 10 of those went for losses and five of those were sacks.
“He has an explosive burst closing from the back side. He is an excellent pass rusher. He has an explosive get-off, an array of hand moves and the ability to bend and wrap the edge,” wrote NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, a former NFL Scout. “He dominated in the national championship game … Overall, Dodd doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he has all of the tools to be a double-digit sack artist at the next level.”
The second reason why Dodd decided to come out was his age. He is going to be 24 on July 14, the age most successful defensive ends are signing their second NFL contracts.
Jeremiah has Dodd ranked No. 22 on his big board, while ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr. has him going No. 19 overall to Buffalo in his latest mock draft.
Dodd finished his only year as a starter at Clemson with 86 tackles, 23.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. Ironically, Dodd’s biggest competition for positioning in the draft is his own teammate.
Lawson is also considered a mid to late first-round pick by many and is the No. 3 edge rusher in the draft heading into this weekend’s scouting combine by NFL.com’s Mike Mayock.
Kiper agrees with Mayock because he has Lawson going No. 17 to the Falcons. Atlanta of course selected former Clemson defensive end Vic Beasley with their first-round pick last year.
“While Vic Beasley flashed potential as a rookie, he wasn’t a force consistently, and the Falcons can’t go wrong adding more to the pass rush. Lawson is well-coached and has more size to stay on the field and hold up as a three-down defender in either a 3-4 or 4-3 look, thanks to a versatile skill set,” Kiper wrote.
Right now, no one really knows what’s going to happen in the draft, though we will all know a little bit more after the scouting combine wraps up. One thing is for sure, though. Dodd may not have thought about how the 2015 season could have gone, but it clearly became a life-changing year for the quiet kid from Taylors, S.C.
Photo credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
If you haven’t already order your copy today of Guts & Glory – Tales of Clemson’s Historic 2015 Football Season to help you celebrate and remember this special season.
