Corey Bell has a simple coaching philosophy. It’s one cornerback Duke Dawson thrived on last year at the University of Florida, and one that should serve the Patriots’ second-round pick pretty well as he embarks on his NFL career.
“He understood I wanted guys who didn’t flinch,” Bell said of the cornerback. “And Duke doesn’t flinch.”
Bell, who served as Dawson’s position coach last season with the Gators, only had one year with him, but came away wildly impressed at the work of the 5-foot-11, 197-pounder. Dawson was first-team All-SEC in 2017 with four interceptions and 34 tackles while playing a variety of roles in the secondary.
Duke Dawson kicked his 2017 campaign off with a bang, and was stingy in coverage all year pic.twitter.com/d4FXN2EIx8
— PFF College (@PFF_College) April 13, 2018
No matter the fact that Florida's coaching staff turned over multiple times when he was there. No matter that the rest of the program struggled at times. And no matter that the Gators faced all manner of challenging SEC offenses last year, including Georgia, with new teammate Sony Michel.
Dawson’s unyielding approach — and the decision to return for his senior year to work with Bell — paid dividends.
“He made a great impression on me in just that one year,” Bell said of Dawson, who was taken 56th overall. “Any time you’re a kid in that situation where you have several coaches, one after another like Duke had, a kid can draw back. But he was really receptive.
“We talked a lot — I asked him what we wanted to get done, we laid out a plan, and we executed that plan. He was receptive to the coaching, and he wanted to be a leader for the younger players.”
Not to mention, attract the attention of the Patriots.
“I’d say his competitiveness, his tackling, his versatility — the fact he played so many spots,” New England personnel chief Nick Caserio said of Dawson when he was asked what stood out about the cornerback during the pre-draft evaluation process. “How that translates into our system? Obviously, (he’s) starting from scratch, so we’re going to take inventory on where he is. But he’s an impressive kid.
“He’s a really tough kid, and he’s a really competitive kid. And I’d say that shows up in his play, and also when you have an interaction with him one-on-one.”
Bell said that toughness — specifically, the ability to shake off a play — was at the heart of his success.
“If he gave up a play, he just shook it off and kept on playing. A lot of that was just how he was built,” he said.
In terms of improvements at the next level, Bell hinted there are a few things that need some work.
“I mean, all players have things they can improve on,” Bell said. “The one thing I’d zero in on is just the idea of consistently getting better and improving. I’d also look for him to become a better and more consistent tackler in terms of wrapping up. Just wrapping and using the technique that he needs to use in a consistent basis and what he’s been taught. But he will get better.”
Big picture? Bell sees him being able to play both in the slot and on the boundary. Rookies frequently have to make their bones on special teams, and Bell sees that as a possibility as well for Dawson in 2018 as well.
“This is the great thing — he has great snap value. He can go outside and inside and move around in the slot. It’s just a matter of him getting an opportunity,” Bell said. “And he’s great on special teams. He played just as hard on special teams as he did on defense. I don’t think that’ll be a problem for him.
“I love the kid, and I think he’ll be great. He did a great job for Florida, and I think he’ll do a great job in New England.”