Derrick Dockery

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Derrick Dewayne Dockery (born September 7, 1980) is a former American football guard who played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, Buffalo Bills, and Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns and was a consensus All-American in 2002.

Dockery grew up in Garland, Texas, and attended Lakeview Centennial High School. As a senior in 1998, he earned second-team All-USA honors from USA Today and was a second-team Class 5A all-state pick. He was a two-time first-team all-district lineman and later received a football scholarship to the University of Texas.

At Texas from 1999 to 2002, Dockery appeared in all 52 of his college games and started most of them. He played at guard and tackle, helping the team average high points per game and produce a strong rushing and passing offense. In 2002, he started 13 games, did not allow a sack, and earned first-team All-Big 12 honors as well as consensus first-team All-American honors. He was part of a Texas program that went 40‑12 during his career and later was inducted into the University of Texas Hall of Honor in 2018.

Dockery was drafted in the third round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins (81st overall). He began his NFL career as a backup but started 13 games at left guard in his rookie season. In 2004, he started all 16 games at left guard. In 2007, he signed a seven-year, $49 million contract with the Buffalo Bills. After two seasons with Buffalo, he returned to the Redskins in 2009 on a five-year, $26.5 million deal and started all 16 games at left guard. A knee injury in 2010 ended a long run of consecutive games. He was released by the Redskins in 2011, then joined the Dallas Cowboys, where he played until 2012. Dockery finished his NFL career with 141 games played, 115 starts, and four fumble recoveries.

After football, Dockery and his wife Emma earned MBAs from George Washington University. He worked with members of Congress, including Jason Chaffetz and Paul Ryan, and in 2016 Ryan hired him to help build coalitions with state and local governments and the business community. He is married with three children. Chris Berman nicknamed him “Hickory Dickory” Dockery. His brother Cedric also played college football for Texas.