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 Dockery with the Washington Redskins in 2006 | |||||||||
| No. 66, 75, 76 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1980-09-07)September 7, 1980 (age 45) Garland, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | ||||||||
| Weight | 325 lb (147 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Lakeview Centennial (Garland) | ||||||||
| College | Texas | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2003: 3rd round, 81st overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
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| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Derrick Dewayne Dockery (born September 7, 1980) is an American former professionalfootballguard in theNational Football League (NFL) for theWashington Redskins,Buffalo Bills andDallas Cowboys. He playedcollege football for theTexas Longhorns.
Dockery was born inDallas County, Texas. He attendedLakeview Centennial High School inGarland, Texas, where he played football for the Lakeview Patriots.
As a senior in 1998, he was tabbed as a second-team All-USA offensive lineman byUSA Today, and second-team Class 5A all-state selection by the Texas Sports Writers Association. He was a two-time first-team all-district performer at offensive tackle.
Dockery accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Texas at Austin. He played for coachMack Brown'sTexas Longhorns football team from 1999 to 2002. As a true freshman in 1999, he served as a backupoffensive guard, but saw action in all 14 games, including theCotton Bowl Classic, at both guard spots and on special teams.
As a sophomore in 2000, he started in all 12 games at guard, including theHoliday Bowl. He helped pave the way for a Longhorns offense that averaged 38.6 points per game.
As a junior in 2001, he played in all 13 games, including the Holiday Bowl, and started nine contests at both guard spots, also seeing action at tackle. His line play contributed to the Longhorns leading theBig 12 Conference with 39.2 points per game (sixth in NCAA) and averaging 162.3 yards rushing, 250.3 passing, and 412.6 total yards per game.
As a senior in 2002, Dockery started all 13 games, seven at right guard and six at right tackle, while not allowing a sack. He was named a first-team All-Big 12 selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-teamAll-American, after receiving first-team honors from theAssociated Press,Football Writers Association of America andWalter Camp Football Foundation.[1] He shared the Longhorns' Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award and was a key member of a Longhorn offense that ranked fifth in the Big 12 and 16th nationally in scoring offense (33.8 points per game).
During his career, the team had a 40–12 record, including back-to-back 11–2 seasons and a top six ranking in 2001 and 2002. He played 52 consecutive games with 31 starts (25 at guard and 6 at tackle).
In 2018, he was inducted into theUniversity of Texas Hall of Honor.
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 347 lb (157 kg) | 35+1⁄8 in (0.89 m) | 10+1⁄8 in (0.26 m) | 5.35 s | 25 in (0.64 m) | 7 ft 8 in (2.34 m) | 13 | |||||
| 40-yard dash value was taken at TexasPro Day; all other values are from the 2003NFL Scouting Combine.[2] | ||||||||||||
Dockery was selected in the third round (81st overall) of the2003 NFL draft by theWashington Redskins.[3] In 2003, he began his rookie season as a backup at several positions along the offensive line, including left guard and right tackle. He was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 4 against theNew England Patriots at left guard, which was his first career NFL start.
He would go on to start the final 13 games of the regular season at left guard. In 2004, he started all 16 games at left guard for the Redskins, teaming with left tackleChris Samuels to form a solid tandem on the left side of the offensive line. He finished the season having garnered 29 consecutive starts at left guard, although he was one of the league leaders in false starts.
On March 2, 2007, theBuffalo Bills signed Dockery to a 7-year $49 million contract with an $18 million signing bonus, the third largest in NFL history at his position.[4] He was a two-year starter at left guard (32 games) and was part of one of the NFL's biggest offensive lines in terms of height and weight. In 2008, the unit struggled in pass protection (allowed 38 sacks) and the offense ranked 25th in the league in total yards. He was released in a salary-cap move on February 26, 2009.[5]
On March 1, 2009, Dockery re-signed with the Redskins to a 5-year, $26.5 million contract.[6] He started 16 games at left guard, replacing free agentPete Kendall. In 2010, he had a streak of 116 straight games played ended, when he was declared inactive in Week 5, after struggling playing in new head coachMike Shanahan's zone blocking scheme. He injured his left knee against theTennessee Titans. He was released on March 1, 2011.[7]
On September 4, 2011, Dockery was signed by theDallas Cowboys.[8] He started in the second game against theSan Francisco 49ers in place of an injuredBill Nagy, but suffered a sprained medial collateral ligament and a tibial plateau fracture.[9] He recovered in week 8 to replace an injuredMontrae Holland as a backup guard for the rest of the season. On August 3, 2012, he was signed to be the backup guard toMackenzy Bernadeau.[10] He wasn't re-signed after the season.
Dockery finished his career after appearing in 141 games with 115 starts. He started his first career game in week four of the 2003 season, and went on to start 109 straight contests until 2010. He also had a stretch of 116 consecutive games.
Following retirement from football, Dockery and his wife Emma attendedGeorge Washington University for their MBAs.[11] Dockery has worked for several members of Congress such asJason Chaffetz andPaul Ryan. In 2016, Speaker Paul Ryan hired Dockery to assist in building coalitions with state and local governments and the business community.[12]
He is married to wife Emma and have three children.[11] Famous ESPN sportscasterChris Berman gave Dockery one of his famous nicknames: Derrick "Hickory Dickory" Dockery. His brother Cedric also playedcollege football for theUniversity of Texas.