Kevin Dotson (American football)

Kevin Dotson
refer to caption
Dotson with the Steelers in 2021
No. 69 – Los Angeles Rams
Position:Offensive guard
Personal information
Born: (1996-09-18) September 18, 1996 (age 28)
West Point, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:330 lb (150 kg)
Career information
High school:Plaquemine
(Plaquemine, Louisiana)
College:Louisiana (2015–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 4 / pick: 135
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 8, 2024
Games played:60
Games started:51
Fumble recoveries:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Kevin Dotson (born September 18, 1996) is an American professional football offensive guard for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Louisiana.

Early life

Dotson was born in West Point, Mississippi and grew up in Plaquemine, Louisiana. He attended Plaquemine High School, where he played football with his twin brother Kenny.[1]

College career

Dotson redshirted his true freshman season. He became the Ragin' Cajuns right guard two weeks into his redshirt freshman and was named to the Sun Belt Conference All-Newcomer Team.[2] Dotson was named second-team All-Sun Belt as a redshirt sophomore after starting all 12 of ULL’s games.[3] He was named first-team All-Sun Belt as a redshirt junior after starting 14 games at right guard.[4] Dotson started all 14 of the Ragin' Cajuns games and was again named first-team All-Sun Belt as a redshirt senior and was also named a first-team All-American by the Associated Press and to the second-team by the Sporting News.[5]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 4 in
(1.93 m) 		310 lb
(141 kg) 		33 in
(0.84 m) 		10+1⁄2 in
(0.27 m)
All values from Pro Day[6]

Pittsburgh Steelers

Dotson was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft, 135th overall, by the Pittsburgh Steelers.[7] He made his NFL debut on September 14, 2020, in the season opener against the New York Giants, entering the game at right guard to replace injured starter Stefen Wisniewski.[8] Dotson made his first career start the following week on September 20, 2020, against the Denver Broncos.[9] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 14, 2020,[10] and activated on November 30.[11]

Dotson entered the 2021 season as the Steelers starting left guard. He started the first nine games before suffering an ankle injury in Week 10. He was placed on injured reserve on November 20, 2021.[12]

Los Angeles Rams

On August 27, 2023, the Steelers traded Dotson, along with their 2024 fifth-round draft pick and 2025 sixth-round pick, to the Los Angeles Rams for a 2024 fourth-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick.[13][14] He was named the starting right guard in Week 4, and started the remainder of the season.

On March 7, 2024, Dotson signed a three-year, $48 million contract extension with the Rams.[15]

References

  1. ^ Partsch II, Raymond (September 15, 2016). "After rough start, Kevin Dotson emerges as starter on Cajuns' offensive line". The Advocate.
  2. ^ Green, Andrew (July 27, 2017). "Former Devil performing well at next level". Plaquemine Post South. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2020.
  3. ^ "UL-Lafayette offensive line primed to put recent struggles behind them". The Advocate. August 22, 2020.
  4. ^ "Cajuns' Kevin Dotson sets high expectations for himself and team". The Daily Advertiser. August 21, 2019.
  5. ^ "UL's Dotson named AP All-American; Hunt to miss bowls". The Daily Advertiser. December 16, 2019.
  6. ^ "Kevin Dotson, Louisiana, OG, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  7. ^ Buckley, Tim (April 25, 2020). "Dotson first Ragin' Cajun to go on third day of NFL Draft". Lafayette Daily Advertiser. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  8. ^ Rutter, Joe (September 14, 2020). "Steelers lose offensive linemen Zach Banner, Stefen Wisniewski in season-opening victory". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  9. ^ "Kevin Dotson and Chuks Okorafor keep Steelers' offensive line chugging along". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 20, 2020. Retrieved September 21, 2020.
  10. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 14, 2020). "Steelers make roster moves". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  11. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 30, 2020). "Steelers make moves ahead of Ravens game". Steelers.com. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 20, 2021). "Roethlisberger activated, other roster moves made". Steelers.com.
  13. ^ Varley, Teresa (August 27, 2023). "Steelers trade Dotson to Rams". Steelers.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  14. ^ Jackson, Stu (August 27, 2023). "Rams trade for Steelers OL Kevin Dotson". therams.com. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  15. ^ Shook, Nick (March 7, 2024). "Rams re-signing guard Kevin Dotson to three-year, $48M deal". NFL.com.