Dakota Duran Dozier (born April 30, 1991) is a former American football guard. He was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football at Furman, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American.
 Dozier with the Minnesota Vikings in 2020 | |||||||
| No. 70, 78 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | April 30, 1991 West Columbia, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 312 lb (142 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Brookland-Cayce (Cayce, South Carolina) | ||||||
| College: | Furman | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2014 / round: 4 / pick: 137 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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Early life
editDozier attended Brookland-Cayce High School in Cayce, South Carolina, where he played offensive tackle, defensive tackle, and defensive end. He earned all-region, all-area, and all-state honors, while serving as captain and was named team MVP. He also won a region individual wrestling championship in his senior year.
He was an unranked recruit by Rivals.com.[1]
College career
editDozier attended Furman University, where he was a member of the Furman Paladins football team from 2009 to 2013. During his career, he started 44 games, all at left tackle, and was named an All-Southern Conference (SoCon) selection for three consecutive seasons (second-team in 2011, first-team in 2012 and 2013). He was twice named an FCS All-American by the Associated Press, including being named a unanimous All-American in 2013, making him only the seventh unanimous All-American in school history.[2][3]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
313 lb (142 kg) |
33+7⁄8 in (0.86 m) |
9+7⁄8 in (0.25 m) |
5.42 s | 4.89 s | 8.14 s | 24.0 in (0.61 m) |
8 ft 5 in (2.57 m) |
23 reps | |||
| All values from NFL Combine[4] | ||||||||||||
New York Jets
editDozier was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round (137th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.[5]
In 2017, Dozier played in 14 games, starting three at right guard in place of the injured Brian Winters.
On April 6, 2018, Dozier re-signed with the Jets.[6]
Minnesota Vikings
editOn April 4, 2019, Dozier signed with the Minnesota Vikings, being reunited with his 2018 position coach with the Jets, Rick Dennison.[7]
On March 30, 2020, Dozier re-signed with the Vikings.[8] He started all 16 games at left guard for the Vikings in 2020.
On March 30, 2021, Dozier re-signed with the Vikings.[9] He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[10][11] He was promoted to the active roster on December 21.[12]
Chicago Bears
editOn March 23, 2022, Dozier signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears.[13] On June 21, 2022, Dozier was placed on injured reserve a week after suffering an apparent left leg injury during a minicamp practice.[14]
References
edit- ^ Dakota Dozier – Yahoo Sports
- ^ "AFCA Tabs Furman's Dozier To FCS All-America Squad". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Furman's Dakota Dozier - Consensus All American - Part One
- ^ "Dakota Dozier Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- ^ "Jets Pick Dakota Dozier at 137". Gang Green Nation. May 10, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ Allen, Eric (April 6, 2018). "OL Dakota Dozier Re-Signs with Jets". NewYorkJets.com.
- ^ "Vikings Add OL Dakota Dozier to Roster". Vikings.com. April 4, 2019.
- ^ Smith, Eric (March 28, 2020). "Guard Dakota Dozier Returning to Vikings". Vikings.com.
- ^ Smith, Eric (March 30, 2021). "Vikings Re-Sign Guard Dakota Dozier". Vikings.com.
- ^ "Vikings Announce Roster Moves to Get to Initial 53". Vikings.com. August 31, 2021.
- ^ Peters, Craig (September 1, 2021). "Vikings Claim TE Ben Ellefson & Sign 14 to Practice Squad". Vikings.com.
- ^ "Vikings Activate Westbrook from Reserve/COVID-19 List; Sign Dozier Off Practice Squad". Vikings.com. December 21, 2021.
- ^ Mayer, Larry (March 23, 2022). "Roster Move: Bears sign OL Dakota Dozier". ChicagoBears.com.
- ^ Cronin, Courtney (June 21, 2022). "Chicago Bears place Dakota Dozier on IR a week after practice injury". espn.com.