Landon
Dickerson.
Landon
Dickerson.
Alabama
"A Rimington/Outland-caliber pivot with a five-school medical history: torn ACL, torn ankle ligaments, prior knee surgeries — teams graded the player top-15 and the file mid-second."Pre-draft read
He aligns as an interior lineman, displaying versatility across all five offensive line positions during his college career, including center and both guard spots. He plays with a wide and powerful base, generating movement in the run game. He finishes blocks through the whistle on every snap.
In pass protection, he sets deep and anchors against bull rushes with ease. He uses long arms and heavy hands to halt interior counters. He is not a plus-athlete laterally, so he relies on strength, timing, and pre-snap intelligence rather than range. He exhibits a mean streak that becomes more apparent as defenders tire later in games.
This prospect fits best in a gap/duo power run game scheme that prioritizes interior maulers and physical play, with a focus on controlling the line of scrimmage and creating rushing lanes.
Year 1 starter at either center or guard, with a ceiling to be a multi-time All-Pro interior lineman capable of anchoring a championship-level offensive line.
He would not be an ideal fit for an outside zone scheme that requires highly athletic and mobile interior linemen, as his lateral quickness and movement in space are not his strengths.
His powerful and combative play style, combined with his positional versatility and high football IQ, make him an excellent fit for physical, run-heavy schemes, provided his medical history allows him to stay on the field.
Landon Dickerson (C, Alabama) Scouting Report || 2021 NFL Draft || Philadelphia Eagles
Pre-draft center profile on Dickerson's Alabama tape, interior power, medical context and Philadelphia projection.
Landon Dickerson (Alabama) Film Study 2021 NFL Draft
Film-study cut-up focused on Dickerson's displacement power, anchor and finish temperament before the 2021 draft.
2021 NFL Draft Profile: Alabama Center Landon Dickerson
Alabama draft-profile package covering Dickerson's leadership, SEC résumé and injury-risk context.
Landon Dickerson projects as an interior mauler with rare positional flexibility, capable of playing center or guard. His game is built on power and a tenacious finishing mentality, making him suitable for a team seeking to establish a dominant run game and a stable interior pass pocket. The core of his projection was an immediate starter if healthy, given his physical traits and technical proficiency.
He was a three-year starter at Alabama who contributed to a national title and won the Rimington Trophy, showcasing his high-level college production and pedigree. He played in a pro-style offense and demonstrated the ability to play multiple positions, including center, both guard spots, and even a stint at tackle. He was a team captain, indicating strong leadership qualities.
Evaluators were split due to a significant medical history, which included two ACL tears, an ankle scope, a hip issue, and another torn ACL during his final college season. Despite tape that suggested a first-round talent, these durability concerns caused him to fall out of the first round. He was ultimately drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round with the 37th overall pick.
- 01
Versatile collegiate experience
Played all 5 offensive line positions, including center and both guard spots, showing scheme flexibility.
- 02
Run game movement
Plays with a wide and powerful base, generating movement against defensive linemen in the run game.
- 03
Finishes blocks consistently
Displays a tenacious mentality, finishing blocks through the whistle on every snap with a mean streak.
- 04
Pass protection anchor
Sets deep and anchors effectively against bull rushes with ease in pass protection.
- 05
Effective hand usage
Uses long arms and heavy hands to halt interior counter moves and maintain pocket stability.
- 01
Significant medical history
Has an extensive medical file including multiple ACL tears, raising durability concerns.
- 02
Lacks lateral agility
Not a plus-athlete laterally, relying on strength and timing rather than range for redirects.
- 03
Limited movement in space
Functions as a heavier-footed athlete hindering effectiveness on reach blocks and pulls.
- 04
Vulnerable to stunts
Struggles to redirect quickly against interior twist games and quick looping edge rushers.
| Yr | Team | G |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Florida State | 7 |
| 2017 | Florida State | 4 |
| 2018 | Florida State | 2 |
| 2019 | Alabama | 13 |
| 2020 | Alabama | 13 |
| Career | — | 39 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Most likely outcome is a long-tenured Pro Bowl guard who becomes the emotional and technical center of an offensive line room. Not a top-five player at the position, but a foundational starter you plan the next decade around.
If the knee holds up and he lands with an elite line coach, the ceiling is a perennial All-Pro interior anchor — same play strength, same finish, same football IQ. The health path is the only thing separating those tape reels.
Downside case is the medical file catches up to him — the ACL doesn't come back all the way, he loses the little lateral quickness he has, and he settles in as a scheme-limited starter who lives in a run-heavy gap system and gets exposed on true passing downs.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Hit. Bounced back from the ACL, started at LG from 2022 on, first Pro Bowl in 2022, All-Pro nod in 2023, second Pro Bowl 2023, third 2024. Anchored the Eagles line to Super Bowl LVII and back to Super Bowl LIX (won). Signed 4-year, $87M extension in 2024. Best value pick of round two.
Landon Dickerson was the pre-draft puzzle that split scouting departments right down the middle. The tape was as clean as any interior lineman in the class — a 6-foot-6, 333-pound mauler with center-guard flex, a fifth-year captain who owned Alabama's front, won the Rimington and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and finished games with the kind of controlled violence that fits the "Philly Special" archetype line mentors whisper about. On pure evaluation, multiple boards had him inside the top 25, and Dane Brugler wrote that if you scrubbed the medical page, this was a top-15 player. The problem is you cannot scrub the medical page. Two ACL tears in college, an ankle scope, a hip issue, and finally a torn ACL against Florida in the SEC title game in December — that stack scared teams off the first round entirely and dropped one of the best pure interior blockers in the class into round two.
The Eagles were the perfect landing spot precisely because they had the two things every other team lacked: an exceptional offensive-line development program, which has quietly become the best developmental environment in football, and the organization's willingness to bet on the tape when the medical staff signs off. Philadelphia had already invested heavily in the trenches, they had time to redshirt Dickerson if the knee needed a slow ramp, and they were building a run-first identity that fit his skill set to the letter. The pick was cheered on draft night as the "steal-if-healthy" of the round, and the industry consensus was that if he ever played 16 games, he was going to be an above-average NFL starter for a long time.
Looking back, the bet paid out on every front. Dickerson slid inside to left guard, made his first Pro Bowl in year two, earned Second-Team All-Pro honors in year three, added a third straight Pro Bowl in 2024, and anchored the interior on two Super Bowl runs including the Lombardi in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles rewarded him with a four-year, $87M extension that made him one of the highest-paid guards in football. The medical risk was real, and other teams were not wrong to have him off their board — but for a franchise with the infrastructure to absorb the downside, the ceiling case was always this: a multi-Pro Bowl interior anchor who finishes people. That is exactly what he became, and it makes the pick one of the best value swings of the entire 2021 class.