Ricardo Dickerson Signed

[Angry Pope]

We signed this player...


RICARDO DICKERSON

Fullback/Inside Linebacker

University of Maryland Terrapins
#5

6:00.6-246

Hyattsville, Maryland

Northwestern High School


OVERVIEW

Dickerson is a versatile player who saw time at linebacker and fullback in his time at Maryland. He is a hard-nosed athlete who has dramatically improved his size and strength since enrolling at Maryland. He has good instincts and likes to hit, earning Iron Terp honors in 2004 with a 400-pound bench and 515-pound squat.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a thick frame with solid upper body muscle definition, good bubble, thick thighs and ankles...Developed into a dominating blocker thanks to his strength...More of a straight-line runner, but shows a good initial burst...Very aggressive attacking defenders and uses his hands well to lock on and wall off blocking in-line...On defense, he has a quick outside move as a pass rusher...Very effective third-down receiver...Hits the holes hard and constantly fights for extra yardage...Very effective leading the tailback through the line, using his power to simply destroy defenders in his path...On defense, he hits aggressively and knows how to use his hands to jam the tight ends at the line of scrimmage...Flows to the ball well, showing impressive lateral agility...Can stay tight with the receivers in the mid-range passing zones...Effective dropping back in pass coverage... Uses his quickness well to chase down the quarterback in the backfield.

Negatives: Hesitates at times running the ball when the holes are clogged...Lacks the hip swerve to dip to the outside...Needs to show better discipline in his route running...Too stiff in his hips to break cleanly on his routes and labors to get into the second level due to a lack of sustained speed...On defense, he is sometimes slow to react to plays directed straight at him...Needs to show better hand usage as he tends to get tied up too often by the blockers...Struggles at times getting into gear, lacking that sustained speed and separation out of his cuts...Needs to spend time in the weight room to add needed power.

INJURY REPORT

2002: Suffered a torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee while working out in June.

CAREER NOTES

Appeared in 42 games, seeing time at linebacker and fullback.

AGILITY TESTS

Campus: 4.88 in the 40-yard dash...400-pound bench press...Bench presses 225 pounds 18 times...550-pound squat...330-pound power clean...33.5-inch vertical jump...9'4" broad jump...4.55 20-yard shuttle...7.38 three-cone drill...30 3/4-inch arm length...8 5/8-inch hands...Right-handed...12/20 Wonderlic score.

HIGH SCHOOL

Attended Northwestern (Hyattsville, Md.) High School, playing football for head coach Ed Shields...Saw playing time at linebacker and running back ...Had 80 tackles, six sacks and one interception as a senior ...Scored four touchdowns in '00 (two rush, one reception, and one fumble recovery) ...Had 63 tackles and three sacks as a junior ...Also ran for more than 250 yards in '99 ...Earned his team's Hammer Award as a senior as NHS's hardest hitter ...Named to the Maryland team which plays Virginia in the Super 44 all-star game between prep standouts from the two states ...Also played in the Prince George's County All-Star Game ...Helped Northwestern to its first-ever playoff game in his junior season ... NHS went 10-2 that season ...Lettered in basketball as well.

PERSONAL

Criminology and Criminal Justice major...Son of Sonya Dickerson and Ricky Kelly...Born Ricardo Dickerson on 6/10/82...Resides in Hyattsville, Maryland.

 

[Angry Pope]

Ricardo Dickerson

Class:
Senior

Hometown:
Hyattsville, Md.

High School:
Northwestern

Height / Weight:
6-1 / 247

Position:
Fullback

Experience:
3V


On Dickerson: Player in his final year at Maryland who has played both linebacker and fullback the last few years ... was primarily a rush end in third-down situations last year but will likely spend more time on offense this year, entering fall as the starting fullback ... hard-nosed player who has dramatically improved his size and strength since enrolling at Maryland ... has good instincts and likes to hit ... an Iron Terp in 2004 with a 400-pound bench and 515-pound squat ... did not test in 2005 due to injury.

2004 (Junior): Played in all 11 games, seeing time on defense and offense ... posted 10 tackles (four solo) with a half-TFL and two QB hurries ... (vs. WFU) ... sealed a defender to the outside to spring Mario Merrills on his longest run of the day (nine yards) ... (vs. FSU) ... finished with two tackles and a QB hurry ... forced QB Chris Rix to throw the ball away with pressure from his defensive end position in the fourth quarter ... (vs. GT) ... made a key block on Sammy Maldonado's two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, sealing defenders to the inside.

2003 (Junior): Saw action in all but one game (Florida State) ... finished the season with four tackles (two unassisted) and one forced fumble ... played on both offense and defense during the same game against Eastern Michigan, West Virginia, and The Citadel ... (at NCSU) ... forced a fumble on the last play of the game, a huge hit on T.A. McLendon that jarred the ball loose, ending NC State's hopes ... (vs. Duke) ... recorded his first two tackles of the season (one solo).

2002 (Sophomore): Played in 11 games, starting one, while working at linebacker and on special teams ... finished with 18 tackles (eight unassisted) with a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries ... (vs. GT) ... made first career start ... finished with six tackles (two solo) ... had one pass breakup ... (vs. FSU) ... credited with a quarterback hurry on a solid hit that knocked Florida State QB Chris Rix temporarily out of the game in the fourth quarter ... (vs. Akron) ... ranked among the top Terp tacklers with six ... recorded three solo tackles in his first career game action.

2001 (Freshman): Redshirt season ... named defensive scout team Player of the Year (along with safety Madieu Williams) for his work on the practice field.

High School: A three-year letterwinner and 2001 graduate of Northwestern High School in Hyattsville, Md. ... a three-year varsity starter who saw playing time at linebacker and running back ... had 80 tackles, six sacks and one interception as a senior ... scored four TDs in '00 (two rush, one reception, and one fumble recovery) ... had 63 tackles and three sacks as a junior ... also ran for more than 250 yards in '99 ... earned his team's Hammer Award as a senior as NHS's hardest hitter ... named to the Maryland team which plays Virginia in the Super 44 all-star game between prep standouts from the two states ... also played in the Prince George's County All-Star Game ... helped Northwestern to its first-ever playoff game in his junior season ... NHS went 10-2 that season ... lettered in basketball as well ... was recruited by UMass, Marshall and Howard ... high school coach was Ed Shields.

Personal: Ricardo Dickerson was born July 10, 1982 ... is the son of Sonya Dickerson and Ricky Kelly ... majoring in criminology and criminal justice.


Defense G-GS UT AT TT/Avg TFL Sacks Int

2002 11-1 8 10 18/1.6 0.0-0 0.0-0 0-0
2003 12-0 2 2 4/0.3 0.0-0 0.0-0 0-0
2004 11-0 4 6 10/0.9 0.5-1 0.0-0 0-0
Career 34-0 14 18 32/0.9 0.5-1 0.0-0 0-0

 

[Crow]

Odd signing. But, hell. Kid can play both ways in camp. That saves us a couple bucks. I can dig it.

 

[Angry Pope]

A little more...

Attended the University of Maryland and will be playing for the Berlin Thunder during the 2007 NFL Europa season. During his first four years at Maryland he played both linebacker and fullback and as a fifth year senior he spent time as the team’s running back.

 

[Rupert]

Hmmmm. An odd kind of tweener. Jack of all master of none kind of guy? I wonder where we're going to play him.

 

[Crow]

We could use a Klecko. I doubt this guy is the one, but the idea is intriguing.

 

[Angry Pope]

We have also signed Levonne Rowan, cornerback...some old info on him...

He has corner on confidence
Rowan returns to health, wins back starting job

By JEFF POTRYKUS

Posted: Nov. 23, 2005

Honolulu - Levonne Rowan and confidence have been, for the most part, lifelong partners.

For much of this his final season at Wisconsin, Rowan has playfully told secondary coach Ron Lee that he is the team's best cornerback and should be playing more often.

"I've joked with him," Rowan said Tuesday after UW's first practice in Hawaii, "but I wasn't joking. I mean, I've got a lot of confidence."

Rowan has made a habit of joking this season with reporters, too, telling them to ask UW's receivers to name the best cornerback on the roster.

For the last two weeks, Rowan's play has matched his good-natured bravado, and the 6-foot 1, 191-pound senior should play a key role when UW (8-3) faces Hawaii (4-6) at 8 p.m. (Milwaukee time) Friday.

The Warriors, who routinely use four- and five-receiver sets, are No. 2 nationally in passing offense (388.2 yards per game).

"The last two weeks he has played well," Lee said. "He knows this is the end of his career and he might as well go out the right way . . . And this will be a good test for him Friday because they're going to throw it around a little bit."

Ask just about anyone in the UW locker room to name the cornerback with the most physical ability and Rowan would win by a landslide.

He has ideal size, sufficient strength to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and can run stride for stride with most receivers.

"He is a guy who has all the athletic ability in the world," Lee said. "It's just a matter of being consistent."

That lack of consistency has kept Rowan from winning a starting role and holding onto it.

He started nine games as a sophomore in 2003 and though he endured some rough moments he showed promise by breaking up six passes and recording 45 tackles. Hampered by a foot injury last season, Rowan watched Brett Bell and Scott Starks start all 12 games. A freak knee injury in camp in August hampered his progress but he lost his starting position after struggling in the opener against Bowling Green.

"I just need to stay healthy," Rowan said.

As Bell struggled to overcome his off-season knee surgery and redshirt freshmen Allen Langford and Jack Ikegwuonu endured bouts of inconsistency, Rowan's playing time increased.

He played his best overall game on Nov. 5 at Penn State and regained a starting spot in the Big Ten finale against Iowa.

"I've prepared well, and my confidence is high," Rowan said. "I kind of lost it for a little bit earlier in the season, but I think I've got it back. I prepare well and I've been making plays in practice.

"You make plays in practice and you'll make plays in a game."

Lee, in his third season at UW, wishes Rowan would have exhibited more mental toughness - and sooner - to complement his physical tools.

"It makes you think about a guy like Ben Strickland or a guy like Joe Stellmacher who don't have that ability but they play faster because the focus is there," Lee said. "Now I think the focus is there for Levonne."

In an effort to satisfy Rowan's request, senior wide receiver Brandon Williams was asked if Rowan was the best cornerback on the roster.

Williams didn't hesitate to provide a blunt evaluation.

"He has the physical abilities, but it's not just about physical ability," Williams said. "You've got to put it all together - mentally, physically and emotionally, too. You've got to be mentally in tune, emotionally in tune . . . the physical part is really last.

"He can be a great corner. It's going to take a little more time than he expects. That's just how it is. Some guys are late bloomers."

Rowan hopes his late push helps UW win its final two games and provides him a chance to land a roster spot in the National Football League.

"I want to finish up strong," he said. "I want to win these next two games and whatever happens after that happens.

"I want to stay healthy, finish strong and make some big plays for us."

 

[Angry Pope]

He is 6'1 and 190 lbs and fast. I think at one point he ran a 4.3/40

 

[R4Life]

He is 6'1 and 190 lbs and fast. I think at one point he ran a 4.3/40

Good call, AP. Here's the info from Scout.com:

Levonne Rowan, CB, Wisconsin

Name: Levonne Rowan
College: Wisconsin Number: 21
Height: 6-0 Weight: 191
Position: CB Pos2:
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2006
40 Time: 4.34

Guess he won't be keeping that #, though.