Bills tackle Dion Dawkins on pushing for O-lineman award, fond memories of Temple

THE COLONY, Texas — Standing in front of a room of 200 that featured peers, college players, coaches, and Hall of Famers, Dion Dawkins was given the floor to explain his approach to being one of the premier left tackles in the NFL.

At the eighth annual OL Masterminds summit on Thursday and Friday, co-founded by O-line guru Duke Manyweather and Eagles tackle Lane Johnson, Dawkins made his first trip to Texas for the event.

Dawkins described his pass blocking technique and mentality on a down-to-down basis. But he also discussed “taking it personal”: that, despite being one of the best offensive tackles in his 2016 draft class, there was still chatter in the league, and even from Manyweather, about a potential move to guard for the Rahway, N.J., native.

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“I went to Temple, I didn’t go to Alabama or LSU. I knew how I was built and what I was up against,” Dawkins told the room. “I went to a tough place [Temple]. I got arrested. I wasn’t a first-round draft pick, I was a second, which is still good, but I felt like I should have been [a] first. The draft was in Philly, I went to school in Philly. I feel like I should have walked on that stage.

“I use it for motivation. I was supposed to be a guard, but I said, ‘I got the world to prove and I’ll be a tackle.’”

Nine years later, Dawkins continues to prove people wrong with his consistent play with the Buffalo Bills, protecting quarterback and reigning NFL Most Valuable Player Josh Allen. For the fourth consecutive season, Dawkins was named to the AFC Pro Bowl team and is in the second season of a three-year extension he received last year that has him tied to Buffalo through the 2027 season.

But even as the success has mounted for the 31-year-old, Dawkins reflected on his rough journey “in a skinny guy world,” and how he had to knock at “a lot of doors before somebody listens.”

“Coming from Temple, it’s like you would never expect guys that do it like this, but then again, you would, because it’s hard,” Dawkins said between sessions at OL Masterminds. “And once you get it, and when you really get it, and when you believe in it and trust it, then you kind of stick to what you’ve done. And that’s the gritty, the gritty, gritty. Because Temple was rough, for sure.”

Dawkins remembers fondly the mat drills in the offseason on North Broad with coach Matt Rhule, who the left tackle says messed with the players’ minds. There was also the discipline aspect that was required to be a part of the Owls program, including walking around with a gallon of water or they’d face consequences, Dawkins said.

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But Dawkins appreciated how that helped mold him into the person he is now, as an outspoken lineman who pushed to help create the “Protector of the Year” award to recognize the league’s best offensive lineman, starting this season. His hope in pushing to create the award to be presented at NFL Honors, he said, was to inspire the next generation of linemen — kids who “are going to want to be linemen now.”

“Imagine playing a football game, and you could never score a touchdown, but you’re a receiver, right? Imagine just being in that position being a receiver, and you could never win the reception title. ... We’re all warriors. And imagine being on a battlefield where you have no option of winning a medal for doing what you do great,” Dawkins explained. “And in my life, nobody dreamed of being an offensive lineman. Nobody dreams of being a protector. Nobody wants to go to the park, and be like, ‘Yo, I’m going block for you while you get to run.

“But with the culture changing and there being awards and there being things that we can hold up and to be cool and to put our chains on, just to inspire the youth. … We’re going to grow better offensive linemen of the mental part.”

When Dawkins wasn’t speaking in front of the room, he was sharing his perspective as a left tackle with the up-and-coming college offensive linemen. They had the opportunity to pull current and former NFL players, like Kevin Mawae, Olin Kreutz, Joe Thomas, and Will Shields aside for tips and techniques to enhance their games.

One who approached Dawkins several times was Clemson left tackle Tristan Leigh, a two-year starter entering his senior season. He said that his sessions with Dawkins “helped me a lot,” and that he “feels lucky to have a conversation with him.”

“You talk to him, he’s a regular guy and he’s so personable, and he’s so real,” said Leigh, a Fairfax, Va., native. “Just hearing his perspective was great, and he was vulnerable. … Somebody in a position where he’s always in the limelight, he’s always in the spotlight, all this pressure on him, and he’s able to bring himself down and always be humble.”

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Dawkins’ main focus entering Year 9 in Buffalo is “to keep Josh [Allen] clean and we’ll have another chance.” Even as he gets farther away from his time at Temple and the coaching turnover that has ensued since, he’s rooting for K.C. Keeler to turn the football program around.

“I hope the best for him,” Dawkins said, “because Temple is a special place. And there’s a lot of diamonds that come from 10th and Diamond.”