Though he was not selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Kevin Dodd isn’t letting that get to him. Instead, he will use it as motivation to help the team who did pick him.
That team was of course is the Tennessee Titans, who selected the former Clemson defensive end with the second pick in the second round (33rd overall) on Friday night. Dodd attended the first round of the draft in Chicago, Ill. on Thursday.
“I definitely thought I would go higher and that’s why I was in Chicago,” said Dodd on the team’s official Web site, Titansonline.com. “It didn’t happen as I planned, but I am still blessed to be drafted. A lot of guys don’t get this opportunity. I know a lot of guys back home that would probably want to be in this position that I am.
“Not going where you expected to go, it will push you. You are going to have a little chip on your shoulder or what not. I am still going to work. I am still going to do what Kevin Dodd has been doing. I have been grinding since day one.”
Dodd’s determination is why he was drafted by the Titans. Though he had to wait his turn at Clemson, when he got his opportunity, Dodd ran with it.
The 6-foot-5, 277-pound standout recorded 86 tackles on the Tigers’ nationally ranked defense in 2015, including 23.5 tackles for loss. He also tallied 12 sacks, and in the College Football Playoff Championship Game against Alabama, he was unblockable. He recorded seven tackles against the Crimson Tide, including five behind the line of scrimmage, three of which were sacks.
“We really wanted a pass rusher,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said. “He played more in a four-man line with his hand down (at Clemson). There were some zone drops, blitz zones that he played a little bit in the coverage where he would drop out.
“In our workout and then at some drills at the combine that we thought were very advantageous to him to be able to play spatially for us. Depending upon formation, if he has to remove from the core, he would be able to do really well in the space.”
The Titans of course run a 3-4 zone blitz scheme under defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who made the concept famous when he was the longtime defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh. LeBeau helped the Steelers win two Super Bowls and play in another using this scheme.
Dodd says he is ready to help the Titans in any way he can.
“I know they are in need for my position at outside linebacker,’’ Dodd said. “I know that I can come in and get an opportunity to compete for a spot. I feel like I can do anything that they ask me to do. I’m sure there are some things I can clean up, but I’m just ready to work.
“The best is yet to come.”
Photo Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports