Philadelphia Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft

Texas Tech TE Jace Amaro (22) catches a pass while hit by Baylor S Ahmad Dixon (6) at AT&T Stadium. Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

AHMAD DIXON – Baylor
Fourth Round, Pick no. 122

Ahmad Dixon is not getting a lot of love and I can’t understand why. He is very fast, has decent size and ranks among the top five safeties with the greatest range.

In modern football, safeties that can play both the run and the pass are valued more than the typical “free safety” or “strong safety”, who specialize more in one of the two. Dixon is an amalgam of these two, looking and moving more like a free safety, but having better results as a run defender.

Being six-feet tall helps Dixon not to be overmatched by running backs or wide receivers. Despite his relatively lean body, he shows enough strength to bring down the ball carrier. He’ll need to gain more muscle weight to make it at the next level.

Safeties are more often than not the last defenders and the only obstacle between a receiver and the goal line. Dixon closes on the ball carrier from the right pursuit angle and uses his body to make the tackle. Missed tackles are not an issue, but he needs to use his hands better and more consistently.

The Eagles could start Dixon from day one, pairing a versatile guy that covers well (Malcolm Jenkins) with a solid tackler who can either guard the backfield or come down into the box.