North Carolina’s Thaddeus Dixon can provide secondary help at cornerback 

MOBILE, Ala. — North Carolina cornerback Thaddeus Dixon, who also played at Washington and Long Beach (Calif.) City College, is making a strong impression at the Senior Bowl.

He’s set to help anchor the National team’s secondary when they play the American team at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of South Alabama.

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. helped get Dixon ready for his NFL job fair during the 2023 season.

“Mike was really elite,” Dixon told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Coming in (at Washington) having to go against Mike every day at practice, it was only going to get you better.”

Dixon played with the Huskies in 2023 and 2024 after two years in junior college.

“You don’t really win too many reps against his elite troupe of wide receivers,” Dixon said. “Being able to work with a lot of first-round talent like that every day was only going to get you better. I had a great experience out there.”

Dixon left with Washington defensive coordinator Stephen Belichick to join the coach’s dad, Bill Belichick, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Dixon measured just over 6 feet and weighed 194 pounds at the Senior Bowl.

Cornerback is a position of need for the Falcons in free agency and the NFL draft in April.

Cornerback Mike Hughes was the opening-game starter this season opposite A.J. Terrell, and C.J. Henderson closed the season as the starter. Dee Alford, who took over at nickel back after Billy Bowman Jr. went down, is set to become a free agent. His market value is projected to be $5.8 million by Spotrac.

“I feel like I put a lot on the table,” said Dixon, who’s represented by Atlanta-based agent Kevin Conner. “Teams like me. Some teams like me inside. Some teams like me outside. Some teams want to use me like a plug-and-play piece. I’ll be blessed to have a spot on any team in the league. My versatility is one of my strong suits.”

Dixon credits the Belichicks with getting him ready to play in the NFL.

“Yeah, it’s remarkable, the stuff that they are doing at the college level,” Dixon said. “I really treated last year like it was my rookie year (in the NFL) as far as like the knowledge I was getting and the stuff that I was learning. It was truly a blessing to play under Stephen for two years and under Coach Belichick for a year.”

Dixon is a feisty and confident corner. He won more than his shares of one-on-one matchups at the National team practice on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Bump and run, most definitely,” Dixon said of his favored style of play. “Bump and run, man-to-man coverage, one-high safety is what I prefer, but I’m comfortable doing all of the defensive schemes, having played all of them.”

He’s also physical in run support.

“Favorite hit was the targeting that I got called for against Penn State in 2024,” Dixon said. “It was a terrible (call). I felt like it was a real fit-up tackle.”

Dixon finished his career with two interceptions and 22 pass breakups.

“My favorite pick would have to be in the Apple Cup (against rival Washington State) in the fourth quarter against Kyle Williams and John Mateer in the Seattle Seahawks stadium,” Dixon said. “They tried me on a go (route), and I turned my head. Got my hands on it. That definitely was my favorite interception.”

He plans to complete all of the drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Dixon believes that video study helped him sniff out a running back screen against Clemson. He likes watching tape of Stephon Gilmore and Darrelle Revis.

“Coach Belichick has got me watching a lot of Ty Law,” Dixon said.