A relative unknown when he arrived at San Jose State, following an outstanding career at Cabrillo College, Lowery made his mark as one of the top pass defenders in college football. A free safety at Cabrillo College, Lowery credits his experience at the position and special teams for his seamless adjustment to the cornerback position at the major college level. He became the first San Jose State player to earn All-American honors in consecutive seasons (2006-07).

At Soquel High School, Lowery was a two-time All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League pick as a defensive back, adding All-League accolades as a senior running back. He set school records with 23 rushing touchdowns and 25 total scores in 2003. That year, he set the county record with seven touchdowns vs. Sacred Heart of San Francisco High. In 20 games on defense, he intercepted a school-record 20 passes. Lowery also lettered in basketball. A three-year starter for the basketball team, he earned League Most Valuable Player honors as a junior. That year, he led his squad to the Central Coast Section Playoffs.

Lowery visited San Jose State, Purdue and Utah State during the recruiting period, but enrolled at Cabrillo College to improve his academic standing. As a freshman in 2003, he was named to the All-Nor Cal Combine Team, in addition to earning All-State and All-Coast Conference first-team honors. He led the junior college level with 237 yards gained on eight interceptions, returning two for scores. He averaged 30 yards on 10 kickoff returns, including one for a touchdown. He also scored on a blocked punt and a blocked field goal, adding 69 tackles (48 solos) with two fumble recoveries and six pass breakups.

In 2004, the free safety led the nation with 202 yards gained on five pass thefts through the first five games, but missed the rest of the season with a hand injury. He recorded 26 tackles (14 solos) and was named to the All-Nor Cal team, despite his injury.

Lowery arrived at San Jose State during fall camp with little fanfare, but quickly seized the left cornerback spot for new head coach Dick Tomey. He would go on to earn All-American and All-Western Conference honors, as he tied Idaho's Stanley Franks for the national lead with nine interceptions. He also deflected seven passes, delivered 48 tackles (23 solos) with three fumble recoveries and averaged 8.4 yards on five punt returns. The cornerback joined linebacker Dave Chaney (1971) as the only Spartans ever named to Playboy's prestigious All-American squad.

During the next-to-last scrimmage of '07 spring drills, Lowery collided with running back Cameron Island, and suffered a fractured jaw. He had to have his mouth wired shut for seven weeks to help the healing process, losing more than 10 pounds during that time. As a senior, he also gained punt-return duties, ranking 14th in the nation with 273 yards and a touchdown on 19 attempts (14.37-yard average). The All-Western Athletic Conference defender collected 44 tackles (30 solos) with seven pass deflections and also came up with four interceptions.

He was named to the American Football Coaches Association All-American squad, becoming the school's first to be honored in consecutive seasons. Only three others before Lowery -- end Lloyd Thomas (1938), halfback LeRoy Zimmerman (1939) and linebacker Dave Chaney (1971) -- were named to one of the five nationally recognized All-American teams by the NCAA. Thomas, Zimmerman and Chaney were named Associated Press first-team All-American players in their respective senior seasons.

"It's an accomplishment for Dwight, our program and the Western Athletic Conference. The great thing for Dwight is he chose to stay in school to get further along towards his (bachelor's) degree and hone his skills for the next level. Certainly receiving this honor and recognition is very gratifying to him," said San Jose State head coach Dick Tomey, AFCA second vice-president. "I'm really proud of him and the fact that he has been able to accomplish all of it in the framework of the team and trying to make our team better. And, I know he has a bright future in football."

"This is a tremendous honor. Right now, I'm at a loss for words," Lowery said when he first learned of the honor. "Last year, it (an All-American performance) wasn't expected. So, it was easy to do the things I did. When you come back the next year, it's expected of you now. The things I did last year, people expect that now and I expect that of myself. The challenge is something that drove me this year. Maybe, there's somebody questioning whether last year was a fluke, or I got lucky. I love that challenge and I feel there are always ways you can get better as a person and as a football player. That's something that I embraced this year."

At Cabrillo College, Lowery played 15 games at free safety. He holds the California Community College Football Conference career leader with 439 yards gained on 13 interceptions (33.8-yard average) and two touchdowns. He also scored on a blocked punt, a blocked field goal and a kickoff return, handling 10 kickoffs for 300 yards (30-yard average). He recorded 95 tackles (62 solos) with two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble and six pass breakups while also carrying once for an 18-yard gain.

In 25 games at San Jose State, all starting assignments, Lowery was fourth in school history with 13 interceptions, gaining 147 yards in returns (11.3-yard avg) with a score. He added 315 yards and a touchdown on 24 punt returns (13.1-yard avg) and deflected 14 passes. He recovered three fumbles and posted 92 tackles (53 solos).

Positives: Has a lean, but defined frame with adequate arm and shoulder muscle tone, small waist, good bubble, slender, but defined thighs and calves … Better cover man than a tackler, but will not shy away from contact … Has natural hands and very good timing on his leaps to get to the ball at its high point, also using his long reach effectively to get his hand up and over the receiver to deflect the pass … Shows good body control throughout his running stride and the hand-eye coordination to look the ball in over his outside shoulder … More quick than fast, but has the functional short-area burst to recover (can struggle to turn and drive on the ball when the receiver gets behind him; see 2007 Kansas State, Hawaii and Louisiana Tech games) … Has a keen knowledge of the playbook and is capable of making defensive calls in the secondary (coaches say he not only knows every assignment, but is the most "field smart" player on the team. Coach Tomey likens his awareness to that of the Ravens' Chris McAlister, who played for Tomey at Arizona) … Hard worker who puts in the extra hours training or in the film room to improve upon his weaknesses … Mature, quiet athlete with no known off-field issues … Has superb ball anticipation skills, especially when playing in zone, doing a good job of taking angles to close … Not the type that can get fooled on run action … Reacts with good urgency once he locates the ball and looks like a better fit at free safety than at corner, as he appears more comfortable keeping plays in front of him and anticipating throws in the zone than when going one-on-one with the receivers … Showed marked improvement in 2007, playing his responsibility first before flying to the ball (attacked the ball more often than staying on his man in 2006) … Closes quickly on plays in front of him, covering lots of ground in the short zone area (has good cover-2 skills, especially when in the loose third or in scheme coverage) … His vision lets him keep most of the action in front of him, as he easily locates the ball in flight, even with his back turned on the quarterback, as he is in good position to go up and get to the ball at its highest point … Keeps good body control combating for jump balls and seems to always be in the proper spot to break up or intercept the pass (27 passes defended in 25 games at SJSU and 46 passes defended in 40 games for his career) … Does a very good job of extending and catching the ball outside his frame, looking athletic in his leaps … His timing allows him to explode off the ground in attempts to reach the thrown ball, making good body adjustments to get to the off-target tosses.

Negatives: Lacks ideal strength and good overall muscle mass … Little tight in his hips, as he gathers some in transition and will take a false step when trying to change direction … Might be a better fit at free safety due to his excellent ball skills and compensate for his lack of man coverage skills … Played in the press technique most, but lacks good plant-and-drive agility on hard cuts, which allows receivers to separate from him after the catch (see 2007 Hawaii and Louisiana Tech games) … Too stiff in his hips to be fluid when changing direction and, while he is quick to close on plays in front of him, he lacks the second gear to recover when beaten … Needs to do a better job of playing off the receiver. When he gets his hands outside his frame in attempts to press, he can be beaten by the slot receivers working underneath (see 2007 Kansas State game) … Has adequate timed speed, but looks sluggish when he has to catch up to speedy receivers on deep routes (must develop a second gear) … Liability in run support, as he lacks the strength to face up to blockers … More of an ankle-biter than a wrap-up tackler, as he fails to stay in front of his man, preferring to take a side (bigger receivers have had great success playing off his hits) … Needs to do a better job of protecting himself in the open field, as he is very susceptible to the cut block … Must square up before delivering the tackle, as he tends to duck his head before contact, losing sight of his man (receivers get good separation when he does this working in space).

Compares To: RODERICK HOOD-Arizona … Like Hood, Lowery is more quick than fast, which will probably give him trouble handling NFL receivers on deep routes. He might be a better fit as a free safety or in nickel packages, as he has the natural hands, leaping ability and timing to get to the ball at its highest point. What he does best is pick off passes. What he does worst is tackle. He lacks the strength to put much force behind his shots and is a liability in run support. However, he has great ball awareness and is not the type who will be fooled by play action. He needs to bulk up some, but it will be his ball-reaction skills that earn him an NFL paycheck, not his strength or quickness. The best way to utilize him might be as a safety, however, which will let him attack the ball; his man coverage skills are lacking for a team to consider him a cornerback in a man scheme.

2005: Missed the last five games of the Cabrillo College season with a hand injury.

2007: Suffered a fractured jaw when he collided with running back Cameron Island in the team's next-to-last scrimmage of the 2007 spring camp. Had his mouth wired shut for seven weeks, losing over 10 pounds in that time.

Campus: 4.55 in the 40-yard dash … Bench presses 185 pounds 17 times … 34-inch vertical jump … 32 1/8-inch arm length … 9 1/8-inch hands.

Attended Soquel (Santa Cruz, Cal.) High School, playing football for head coach Ron Meyers … Two-time All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League pick as a defensive back, adding All-League accolades as a running back during his senior campaign … Set school season-records with 23 touchdowns on the ground and 25 total scores in 2003 … That year, he set the county game-record with seven touchdowns vs. Sacred Heart of San Francisco High … In 20 games on defense, he set another school record by intercepting 20 passes … Also lettered in basketball … A three-year starter for the hoops team, he earned League Most Valuable Player honors as a junior, leading his squad to the Central Coast Section Playoffs.

Psychology major … Born 1/23/86 in Santa Cruz, California.