Texas Tech football alums: Dawson Deaton impresses at Shrine Bowl

Though the months of January and February are heavily geared towards college basketball, they are still important for a number of Texas Tech football players who are hoping to make the jump to the NFL.  During this time period, there are opportunities to impress scouts and organizations in all-star games such as the East/West Shrine Bowl, which was held last week in Las Vegas.  And one Red Raider alum who seems to have impressed during that event is Dawson Deaton.

A three-year starter at center for the Red Raiders, the Frisco, Texas native generated some excellent buzz during the week of practice leading up to the game and came away as one of the big winners of the week.

Among a number of observers who threw accolades Deaton’s way after the Shrine Bowl was Mike Spencer Hrynyshyn, a scout for BlueChipScouting.com.  In fact, Hrynyshyn said that Deaton made himself quite a bit of money during the week of the event and listed him as one of the Shrine Bowl’s biggest winners along the offensive line.

Likewise, Deaton was mentioned by @PFNDraft, Matt Alkire,  and HeartlandCollegeSports.com as a player who stood out in Las Vegas.

One factor that is working in Deaton’s favor is his size. Reportedly measuring at over 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 305 pounds, Deaton showed that he has excellent size, especially when it comes to his wingspan, for an interior offensive lineman just up from the college ranks.

Also, versatility is something that Deaton displayed at the Shrine Bowl.  Taking some practice reps at guard, he more than held his own as seen in this Tweet, thus improving his draft stock by showing that he’s a player capable of fulfilling multiple roles for an NFL team.

Where Daton will end up in the draft (assuming that he’s taken at all), is anyone’s guess at this point.  There is still a ton of evaluation time between now and April’s NFL Draft.  That will include the Texas Tech pro day where Deaton and a number of his teammates will work out in front of scouts in Lubbock.

But on January 29, WalterFootball.com listed Deaton as the No. 5 center in this year’s draft class.  That ranking was published just prior to the start of Shrine Bowl practices so it will be interesting to see where Deaton sits on that website when the next update is posted.

Texas Tech will certainly miss having Deaton’s veteran presence to anchor the offensive line in 2022.  Making 35 career starts, he was Tech’s most experienced lineman in 2021.  What’s more, he was a second-team All-Big 12 honoree in 2020 and 2021 as well as an honorable mention honoree in 2019.

Now, it will be interesting to see where his professional career takes him.  If he is selected, it would mark the second-straight season that a Red Raider offensive lineman was taken in the draft after Deaton’s high school teammate, Jack Anderson, was picked at No. 236 overall in round seven of last year’s NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.  Prior to that, the last Red Raider o-lineman to be taken was Le’Raven Clark who went to the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2016 draft.

So keep an eye on Dawson Deaton as this year’s evaluation process plays out because he’s showing signs of raising his stock after his performance in last week’s East/West Shrine Bowl.