It’s an honor for an offensive linemen to be called a “people mover.” That’s the first thing o-line coach Shaun Sarrett said about Kevin Dotson once the Steelers took him 135th overall in this year’s draft.
“Watching him on tape, he’s a really big man with great length and a really good athlete,” Sarrett told the media. “What shows up on tape is that he is a people mover. Really like that showing up on his tape.”
In an interview with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews, Dotson was asked to respond to that “people mover” label.
“I think it definitely is a compliment,” he said. “Saying a people mover just says I get the job done no matter who it is. I’m a people mover, I get people out of the way, I do what I’m supposed to do, and if I have to do it violently, then it comes to that.”
Despite not being selected until Day Three of the draft, Dotson was widely regarded as one of the classes’ best run blockers. He and teammate Robert Hunt propelled Louisiana-Lafayette to have the 6th best rushing attack in all of college football, only trailing option offenses, Kentucky, and the powerhouse Ohio State Buckeyes. Dotson was named a first-team, AP All-American for his efforts, a first in school history.
So why did it take so long for him to get drafted?
A Combine snub is one of the driving reasons. In a year where most Pro Days where cancelled, teams weren’t as willing to draft prospects who carried more unknowns. Ones who didn’t have electronic testing, a medical check, players who coaches couldn’t watch and speak to in person. Dotson was the first non-Combine player taken in this draft. It was the second highest non-Indy invite in Colbert history, only trailing fellow Rajun Cajun Ike Taylor, taken ten slots higher in the 2003 draft.
There were also concerns over the quality of competition and his age, turning 24 this season as a redshirt senior, making him older than most prospects. But all that did was offer Pittsburgh excellent value in the 4th round and a player in Dotson who could make a serious run at a starting gig in 2021.
