Interesting pick, big numbers for a TE although I’m not sure how big of a need TE is. CBS Sportsline has his most comparable player as Chris Cooley make of that what you will.
VITALS
Height: 6’3
Weight: 255lbs
Scouts Grade: 86
DRAFT PROFILE
Strengths: An athletic tight end with good quickness and adequate speed for the position. Does a good job of avoiding the jam at the line and shows good release quickness. He has long arms and big hands. He has excellent ball skills and can go up and snatch the ball at its highest point. Very reliable short-to-intermediate receiver. Doesn’t let the ball get into his pads often and shows very good hand-eye coordination for his position. He can pluck on the run and gets upfield quickly. Displays a knack for finding open windows on short-to-intermediate routes. Is fast enough to occasionally stretch the seam vertically. Will consistently separate from SLB’s one-on-one. He has a quick first step as a run blocker and generally takes good angles. Shows good body control in space as a blocker and does an outstanding job of hitting the moving target on the second-level. Uses leverage to his advantage, displays adequate upper-body strength and works hard to sustain his blocks once locked on. He has been durable and reliable throughout his career. Continues to improve with more experience and is a hard worker with solid overall intangibles.
Weaknesses: Height and bulk are decent but not good. He’s tough and technically sound as a blocker, but he will get overwhelmed physically versus bigger DE’s and SLB’s at the point of attack. While he has above average speed for the position, he has not been a consistent weapon vertically.
Overall: Davis appeared in 35 games (13 starts) in his first three seasons at USC (2004-’06), grabbing 55 receptions for 527 yards (9.6 average) and five touchdowns. Last season he started all 13 games and more than doubled his previous career totals, turning in 62 receptions for 881 yards (14.2 average) and eight touchdowns. Davis finished his career with school records for receptions and receiving yards by a tight end, and as a senior received the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top player at the position. Keller missed one game in 2005 because of an ankle injury.: Davis made significant strides as a first-year starter in 2006 before breaking out as a senior in 2007. He lacks elite size and he is not going to be a typical inline tight end in the NFL. However, Davis possesses the athleticism and toughness to quickly emerge as an impact pass-catcher and eventually to develop into a fulltime starter. Davis is one of the only tight ends in this class that creates mismatches. If used properly and moved around in the formation, Davis should be able to use his explosiveness, physicality and quickness to give linebackers and safeties a very difficult time.
VIDEO
Scouts Inc Analysis of this Pick:
What he brings: There were concerns about Davis’ ability to stretch the field before the combine, and his slow 40 time backed up what we saw on film. He isn’t an overwhelming in-line blocker, either, but does a good job getting in position and fights to sustain his blocks. In addition, he has the athletic ability, big hands and long arms to emerge as a reliable possession receiver.
How he fits: Based on the offensive scheme Jim Zorn will run, the two-tight end packages will be key. Davis will allow the Redskins to move TE Chris Cooley all over and create mismatches on offense. There were no other quality tight ends on the roster and Davis fills this need for Washington.
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