2020 was a year where so much went wrong for the Steelers' offensive line.
But Kevin Dotson's rise was one of the few things that went right. The rookie selected out of the fourth round played eight games, including six starts.
His play not only boosted the offensive line, but also made himself a piece of the puzzle the Steelers may count on to build their future running game Art Rooney II talked about last week.
As Dale Lolley noted on Monday, the Steelers new offensive line coach, Adrian Klemm, worked closely with Dotson in 2020 as he developed into a bright spot in the Steelers' offense.
The Steelers have benefited over the years from seeing linemen drafted in the later rounds, or even being undrafted altogether, progress into consistent starters for the team. Players like Kelvin Beachum, Ramon Foster, Alejandro Villanueva and Chris Hubbard became reliable assets who lined up next to the stars on the line like Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Marcus Gilbert.
Dotson's being a fourth-round selection made him a wildcard when it came to expectations, especially with no mini-camps, no rookie camp, and no real training camp to get his feet wet and learn the system. But still, he found a way to be useful early in the season. He ended up having to start in just his second NFL game and performed well enough to keep being called into action.
According to Pro Football Focus, Dotson only allowed a single pressure in his 219 snaps in pass protection, and was called for only three penalties in all of the 358 snaps he played in 2020. The next-lowest amount of pressures allowed by any lineman who at least played 200 snaps was the four allowed by 49ers center Ben Garland, and he still played 18 less snaps in pass protection compared to Dotson.
What was most impressive about Dotson's rookie season was how well he seemed to understand his role for the Steelers while in action. Rarely did you see him look lost, confused, or playing aggressively while on the wrong assignment. And while he was on assignment he displayed strength at the point of attack and athleticism that any lineman coach would appreciate.
Watch his play at right guard as he seals the lane for Villanueva's pull to become a lead blocker for James Conner. Dotson didn't need to blow Larry Ogunjobe out of the hole, he just needed to seal him to the inside so Villanueva and Conner could have their lane. To win, he got out of his stance lower than Ogunjobe, then got his hands inside so he could torque Ogunjobe's body out of the way:
Subtle, but that was an effective job.
Sometimes Dotson's success weren't so subtle. The Steelers weren't afraid to let him be the lead blocker on occasion and, especially early in the season, he looked good at it.
Part of that was because of his maturity. Watch this pull block where he had Olivier Vernon dead to rights, but focused on getting his job done instead of blowing him up.
Sometimes younger players will see an unoccupied defensive end left open by design and look for that to be their chance for a highlight reel trap block where they blow the guy up with the big hit. That can lead to whiffing on the block due to missing out on the fundamentals.
Dotson took the responsible route by engaging Vernon only after he positioned himself between Vernon and Conner, sealing Vernon to the inside so that Conner could have the edge for a solid gain:
Considering how good Vernon was in 2020, that play was very impressive.
And Dotson's best play in 2020 was definitely in pass protection. There he didn't have to worry about aggression or blowing up anyone at the point of attack. He just needed to communicate, identify his man, and engage with good hands and footwork to maintain his gap.
Here's a good textbook display of Dotson winning 1-on-1 in pass protection. He knows it's just him and the Colts' Tyquan Lewis, keeps his pad level lower, gets his hands inside and controls the play from the start. Lewis can't use any hand techniques to gain back leverage because Dotson had locked him out with solid hand placement:
And look at the footwork on Dotson too. They never stopped chopping, allowing him to maintain his balance and leverage through the entire play.
But the biggest challenges in pass protection are when linemen don't have it so easy in figuring out where pressure is coming from. Dotson still looked poised in these moments, even as teams tried to pick on him.
Watch how the Browns tried to set him up with a stunt-twist between Adrian Clayton and Myles Garrett. Clayton is lined up closest to Dotson, making him the first threat Dotson must recognize. Clayton does engage with Dotson, but only briefly, as he stunts towards Villanueva and Garrett attempts to twist behind him into Dotson's gap.
Many rookies would heavily engage the Clayton's stunt, look to seal the deal with aggression while also giving up their gap for Garrett's twist to exploit. But Dotson kept his head up and picked up on Garrett's twist, getting his hands on Garrett in the hole to give Mason Rudolph his pocket to throw:
Sure, Dotson's feet could've been better during his switch to Garrett, but him making this play is the point.
There were definitely identifiable points in Dotson's game that he could improve. Between consistent aggression in the run game and not always following through his feet, those are coachable and correctable practices that improve with time.
But what helped Dotson in the moments where his game wasn't polished enough was his focus on knowing his job. Being in the right position and being prepared for how your opponent might react help when your muscle memory hasn't developed to that of a seasoned NFL veteran lineman.
And it's clear that those techniques are in Dotson's game. He flashed them often enough that when they combined with his wherewithal of the game, he made very impressive plays against talented defenders like Vernon and Garrett.
As Dotson continues to work with Klemm in 2021 and beyond, those techniques and practices he flashed will have the chance to become mainstays in his game. Much like they did for Pouncey and DeCastro when they turned the corner as linemen in their careers.
If his second year shows growth, Dotson won't just be an asset to the Steelers. He could end up being a key piece to getting the run game back and a future anchor to the team's next era of offensive linemen.
