Buffalo Bills' Offensive Lineman Receives Stunning Recognition From NFL Analyst

Dion Dawkins was not a popular pick back when the Associated Press held voting for its annual All-Pro awards this season.

The Buffalo Bills’ left tackle did not have his best year, taking a minor step back in a few statistical categories as Bills quarterback Josh Allen was sacked a career-high 40 times during the regular season.

Nevertheless, Dawkins did receive two first-team votes behind the award winner, Denver Broncos’ Garrett Bolles, who finished with 19 first-team votes. After the All-Pro selections were released, one voter explained why the Bills’ left tackle deserved the top spot on his ballot.

Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Dion Dawkins (73) warms up prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Highmark Stadium. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

The rationale

Chief Analytics Officer of FTN Fantasy, Aaron Schatz, wrote that, when making his decision on who offer his first-team selection at left tackle, it came down to certain analytics.

“For offensive line positions, I used a combination of ESPN’s win rate stats and SIS Total Points,” wrote Schatz. “Plus some eye test, and word of mouth, and trusting the opinion of offensive line expert Brandon Thorn.”

Schatz proceeded to lay out his case, citing that Dawkins ranked first in Sports Info Solutions (SIS) Total Points among left tackles this season, second in ESPN’s pass block win rate (he actually ranks first as of Feb. 15) and 12th in the outlet’s run block win rate. In comparison, among left tackles, Bolles was third in SIS Total Points, 11th in pass block win rate (ninth as of Feb. 15) and 19th in run block win rate.

“The word of mouth/eye test is very strong with Bolles and with Trent Williams, and I had to leave one of them off my team,” added Schatz, who made Bolles his second-team selection.

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Counterpoint

While Schatz’s case is reasonable, other metrics show that Dawkins wasn’t the same player this past season as he was during the 2024 campaign. According to Pro Football Focus, Dawkins was responsible for seven sacks in 2025, four more than he allowed the year prior. Also, he allowed 16 more quarterback hurries (33), 17 more quarterback pressures (42) and was flagged for 10 penalties, seven of which came pre-snap.

Dawkins’ season wasn’t a failure by any means, but there were players at his position more deserving of a first-team selection. Two Bills players did receive All-Pro honors: Ray Davis as a first-team return specialist and James Cook as a second-team running back.

Schatz has a history of favoring Bills players in his decision-making, as he previously cast an erroneous first-place vote for Allen for the 2023 MVP award. His vote for the Bills’ QB was the only first-place selection not issued to Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, which prevented Jackson from becoming the NFL’s first two-time unanimous MVP.