Sport: Football
Born: April 26, 1996
Town: Rahway, New Jersey
Dion Dawkins was born April 26, 1994 in Rahway, NJ. He was a big, active kid who spent a lot of time outside skateboarding and riding bikes with friends. Dion played youth-league football until 5th grade, when he exceeded the weight limit. He did not resume his gridiron activities until he enrolled at Rahway High School, where teammates dubbed him “The Shnowman.” Dion was a handful as a defensive lineman for the Indians varsity, but few of the college scouts who watched his games rated him as a Division I prospect.
Temple University disagreed. New coach Matt Rhule and his staff believed the 6’5” lineman belonged on the other side of the football and made him into a guard. The Owls went 2–10 his freshman year and then 6–6 when Dion was a sophomore. Temple’s 2015 team began the year with a 27–10 win over Penn State—the first time they’d beaten the Nittany Lions since 1941—and finished the year 10–4. Dion was second-team American Athletic Conference and received some All-America recognition.
In 2016, Temple went 10–4 again and won the AAC championship—the first major conference title in school history. Dion was first-team All-AAC and was named the top offensive lineman in the Senior Bowl. He was one of three Owls (along with fellow New Jerseyan Haason Reddick and Nate Hairston) who were taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Buffalo Bills grabbed Dion in the second round with a pick acquired in a trade with the Atlanta Falcons. He was the second guard taken.
A nagging foot injury to veteran left tackle Cordy Glenn created an opportunity for Dion to step into this key position. He performed well enough during Buffalo’s 9–7 campaign to nail down the starting job in 2018. The Bills had a disappointing 6–10 season, but Dion played well all year. He also caught a touchdown pass on a trick play against the Jets. Dion caught another TD pass in 2019, as Buffalo rallied under quarterback Josh Allen to finish 10–6. Unfortunately, the Bills’ season ended with an overtime loss to Houston in the playoffs.
At this point, Dion had established himself at one of the best players at his position. He was immensely strong and explosive enough to open up holes for Buffalo runners. Just as he had in college, Dion found ways to make small improvements in each of his pro seasons. The Bills were pleased enough with Dion’s work at left tackle to give him a handsome four-year contract extension in 2020. He rewarded them with another good year as the team went 13–3 and won the AFC East for the first time since Jim Kelly quarterbacked the team. They beat the Colts and Ravens in the playoffs before falling to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship.
Dion got off to a slow start in 2021 when he was hospitalized with Covid. He returned to the field in time to have his best season. The Bills repeated as AFC East champs, but lost to the Chiefs in the playoffs again, this time in a heartbreaking overtime battle. Dion took some consolation in being named to the Pro Bowl for the first time.