I do not like this much. If it's not like a dragon, it's not a dragon to me. That's like those orcs who wre not like orcs. Just call the things something else if you want to create something entirely new.
My views on dragons are completely conservative: Powerful, ancient, flying reptiles. Either just powerful worldly creatures, or connected to a divine force like the dragons of Middle-Earth.
This, not everything has to be "edgy and new" if it ain't broken, don't fix it.