FSU football: 3 defensive players to play attention to in 2021 fall camp

Stephan Dix Jr.

The defense had liabilities at every level, and the linebackers got picked in almost every game. The lack of a pass rush coupled with Leonard Warner not playing well put Stephan Dix Jr. in a tough spot as a true freshman.

Dix Jr. often got caught in no man’s land on RPO plays from opposing offenses. He often took bad angles, but these things should have been expected from a freshman with no spring or summer practices.

One thing Dix Jr. has done over the past year is reshape his body. He was already a physical specimen as a freshman, but now he’s one of the first guys you want coming off of the bus.

I don’t know if the added size will help him in coverage, but he should be a problem attacking downhill and filling gaps.

One thing I want to see from Dix Jr. is decisiveness and the ability to diagnose formations presnap and put guys in the right spot.

I want to see him get off blocks and lay the wood to guys like FSU linebackers of years past. If he has a good fall camp, that will be one liability that could become a strength as he gets more reps.