Dynasty Scouts Player Profile: Kenneth Dixon

Austan Kas Posted On October 17, 2015

dixon

Prospect Profile: Kenneth Dixon
Louisiana Tech running back among the best backs in the 2016 class

My favorite facet of dynasty leagues is evaluating college talent to prepare for rookie drafts. Within that, there’s nothing as enjoyable as finding the small-school diamond in the rough. Whether it’s Zach Zenner last season, T.Y. Hilton in 2012, John Brown in 2014 or Chris Johnson way back in 2008, there’s something gratifying and enlivening about watching a player from a lesser-known school and realizing he’s just as good as the household names at powerhouse programs.

A small-school player I really like for the 2016 NFL Draft is Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon. He’s extremely productive, fits the mold of a successful NFL running back and runs with an aggression and fervor which is, quite honestly, so dang fun to watch.

Not only is Dixon of the the best running backs in country, he’s in the midst of one of the greatest careers in the history of college football. Dixon sits eighth on the all-time touchdowns list with 59, tying him with Eric Crouch, Tony Dorsett, Colin Kaepernick and Ken Simonton. He has 3,993 career rushing yards on 699 attempts (5.7 YPC) and 653 receiving yards, giving him a whopping 4,646 total yards from scrimmage. The career rushing total is tops among active FBS players.

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Dixon burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2012 with an insane 27 rushing touchdowns, which led the nation. His 2013 season was shortened to 10 games due to injury, yet he still rushed for 917 yards on 151 carries (6.1 YPC). He bounced back with 1,684 total yards (1,299 rushing, 283 receiving) and 28 total touchdowns in 2014. Through five games this season, Dixson is averaging 116 rushing yards per game with eight total scores.

Playing in Conference USA, Dixon, our No. 9 back for 2016, doesn’t get many chances to showcase his ability against top-flight defenses, but he gets an opportunity to do so this weekend as Mississippi State hosts Louisiana Tech in a battle of the Bulldogs which will be televised at noon on the SEC Network. Mississippi State won’t be confused with the Steel Curtain anytime soon, but they rank 48th in yards allowed per game and have the most talent of anyone on Louisiana Tech’s schedule. Dixon missed the last game with an ankle injury, his first missed game since November of 2013, but he is fully expected to play against Mississippi State.

In three years, Dixon has fared well when Louisiana Tech has gone up against one of the big boys. As a freshman, he totaled 119 yards and two scores against Texas A&M. He had 118 yards and a touchdown in a 2013 game versus North Carolina State. Oklahoma did hold him to 56 total yards and one touchdown in the 2014 season opener, but he ended the year with 142 total yards and two scores in a bowl win over Illinois. This season, he racked up 81 rushing yards and 25 receiving yards at Kansas State, who is giving up the 18th-fewest rushing yards per game this season.

Listed at 5-foot-11, 213 pounds, Dixon is a do-it-all back who’s really enjoyable to watch. He has good balance, vision, footwork and a slipperiness where would-be tacklers slide right off him. Don’t confuse Dixon for a finesse runner, though. I have a feeling he’d be insulted.

I think one of the fourth-year senior’s best attributes is the way he runs with every ounce of strength in his body. No one likes being tackled, but it appears as if Dixon absolutely despises going to the ground. The way he finishes runs reminds me of Mark Ingram or Chris Ivory. Instead of running out of bounds at the end of a play, he’d prefer to lower his shoulder into a defender just to enforce his physical superiority. I’m not sure what that running style means for his long-term durability, but it’s a freakin’ blast to watch.

Dixon, who has found the end zone in 18 of his last 19 games, is also a capable receiver, which will help him get on the field early in his NFL career. He caught 30 passes last season for 385 yards and six scores. He’s already made 15 receptions for 148 yards and two touchdowns in five games this year.

The more I think about it, the Ingram comparison makes a lot of sense. Maybe I am selling Dixon short in the speed department (we’ll see what he runs this spring), but I don’t foresee him being a burner who rips off a lot of long runs at the pro level. Like Ingram, I project him as a solid all-around weapon who can excel both between and outside the tackles.

When you watch Dixon, you won’t see as many wow plays as you might when you’re watching Kareem Hunt, Ezekiel Elliott or Derrick Henry, but what you’ll see is a back who reads blocks well, bounces off tacklers, can catch the ball out of the backfield and just consistently makes a lot of really good plays — all while running with a malicious attitude. Ingram was very similar in college, and he’s having a nice NFL (and fantasy) career without making many wow plays.

Looking ahead to the NFL Draft, Dixon will likely be a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick, falling somewhere in the third or fourth round. As far as dynasty rookie drafts, there are a lot of variables in play, the chief of which are what team selects Dixon and what happens over the next several months with injuries and the pre-draft workouts. I think this is a really solid class for running backs and receivers, so I’d guess he’ll go in latter half of the second round or early third.

Regardless, today will be a fun day to watch him.

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