Michael Dogbe is no ordinary seventh-round pick

The Arizona Cardinals seem to be set on their starting defensive line for the 2019 season.

Rodney Gunter and free-agent acquisition Darius Philon are expected to man the defensive end positions. Corey Peters is pegged in as their starting nose tackle.

Even after drafting a future starter in Boston College DE Zach Allen, the Cardinals may have drafted another future starter in seventh-round pick DE Michael Dogbe.

Dogbe is a 23-year-old defensive end from Temple that had a breakout 2018 season. He set career-highs in tackles (72), tackles for loss (12.5), sacks (seven), and forced fumbles (three).

It seems that the Cardinals may have used the Pro Football Focus’ 2019 Draft Guide throughout this year’s draft and the Dogbe selection shows some proof of that.

Three of the players on this list were chosen before Dogbe. Ed Oliver was selected ninth overall by the Buffalo Bills. Trysten Hill was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round. Cortez Broughton was drafted seven spots before Dogbe. None of those players generated more pressures than the Temple product.

The biggest concern of his college resume is he only had one-year of good production at Temple. That is one of the biggest reasons why he was available late into day three. From a technique standpoint, he has room for improvement and still has a lot to learn. But from an athletic standpoint, he has everything that is needed. Take a look at his 40-yard dash.

According to Temple’s website, Dogbe clocked in at a 5.06 40 time. Some clocked him at a faster time, the fastest being 4.92. The 6-3 284 pound defensive linemen broke through double teams in some of the tape I have watched of him. His 34 bench presses blew me away and he made good use of the power that he has.

Keep in mind he was awarded the no. 9 jersey number at Temple. Single-digit numbers are given to the nine toughest players on the team. This is a testament to his work ethic. He can rush the passer and penetrate in the run game. There is no doubt that this player is “TempleTuff” based on his 2018 season alone.

He will have to make the 53-man roster first before he can become a starter but I have a good feeling Michael Dogbe is no ordinary seventh-round pick.

Seventh-round picks normally have an uphill battle to make the final roster but with Robert Nkemdiche likely to start the season on PUP, Dogbe’s chances are pretty high.

Take a look at some of his highlights: