Former Temple football defensive lineman impresses at East-West Shrine Game

Michael Dogbe ended his Temple career by earning a single-digit number and leading the Owls in tackles for loss and sacks.

Now, the former Temple defensive lineman is preparing to join the professional ranks. He and other NFL Draft prospects played in the annual East-West Shrine Game on Saturday in St. Petersburg, Florida. In the week leading up to the game, players participated in drills to showcase their skills in front of NFL scouts and executives.

Dogbe turned scouts’ heads in the week leading up to the game, holding his own against Power Five offensive lineman, an NFL scout who attended the game told The Temple News. Former Temple safety Delvon Randall also participated in practices, but he could not play in the game because of an injury.

Dogbe garnered attention on Twitter during the week. He shedded former University of Georgia offensive lineman Lamont Gaillard and former University of Mississippi center Sean Rawlings’s blocks in a pass-rushing drill. He also recorded a tackle for loss from the defensive end position on Saturday during his first snap of the game. 

Dogbe finished the game Saturday with two tackles and a tackle for loss.

“It’s all about getting recognition,” Dogbe told The Temple News Friday. “I just came down here to compete and have a good time, but people took notice. I wanted to show scouts what I can do on the football field and just to see some things trending on Twitter…it’s pretty cool.”

In an article analyzing players’ performances during the week, Bleacher Report’s leading NFL Draft expert Matt Miller reported that Dogbe “had a dominant Shrine Game week.” 

“During practices, one area scout praised Dogbe’s motor and ability to beat big blockers with a bull rush,” Miller wrote. “His versatility as a defensive lineman and polished tools as a pass-rusher make him a solid selection — one who’s able to get onto an NFL field early.”

Versatility is one of the traits that stood out while evaluating Dogbe, which makes him an intriguing prospect, the NFL scout said. At Temple, Dogbe mostly played defensive tackle and nose tackle, and he sometimes played defensive end. 

At the Shrine Game practices, Dogbe played all over the defensive line.

“It was good for me, just learning new techniques and receiving NFL coaching,” Dogbe said.

Miller wrote that Dogbe’s experience playing on the edge on a three-man defensive line makes him versatile. 

Most years, Dogbe would be a late-round draft pick, but because of the high number of strong defensive line prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft, Dogbe could go anywhere from the fourth-round to being undrafted, the NFL scout said.

“I talked to just about every team down here a good amount,” Dogbe said. “They are all saying good things. They like what I did my [final] year, and they told me to just keep doing what I’m doing and continue to be Michael.”

Dogbe hopes to continue Temple’s three-year streak of having defensive players selected in the NFL draft. 

“Everyone’s gonna question, ‘You’re coming from Temple, can you go against the bigger schools, can you compete against those type of guys,’” Dogbe said. “I just wanted to show that us Temple guys can compete with anybody, anywhere.”