Submitted by: AdamHawk23
On January 7th, 2021, Jordan Davis surprised the Georgia Bulldogs by declaring his intentions to stay for his senior season, despite being projected to be taken high in the 2021 NFL Draft. In the modern world of college football, it has become increasingly rare for top flight athletes like Davis to pass on the millions proffered by the NFL to play for free in college. However, Davis decided to bet on himself and his team, and came back to try for a National Championship title for one more year. The rest, as they say, is history.
Over a year later, Georgia have become the National Champions, and Davis had a career year, anchoring the Bulldogs top ranked defense. His NFL future is bright, and his physical talents are truly special. This season, Davis had a dominant year, being named 1st team all-SEC and 1st team all-American as well as winning the Outland Trophy for the nation’s best interior lineman, and the Chuck Bednarik Award for the nations best defensive player.
Despite all the awards and recognition, Davis only averaged 2.1 tackles per game this season, and only accrued 2 sacks and 14 QB pressures, which could hurt his draft stock. Asked to eat up blockers to give his edge rushers room to work, Davis did exactly what his team needed to win, at cost to his personal statistics. What is a detriment to Davis’ personal draft position may be a boon to a certain NFL team who sits near the bottom of the draft order at pick number 28.
Davis, a former 3-star recruit, has excellent size for the position. The thing that sets him apart from his fellow defensive tackles is the impressive speed he showed throughout his career at Georgia, which can be seen right away when putting in his tape, whether it is running down a running back, corralling a quarterback, or wrapping up a wide receiver. Most NFL scouts view Davis as a monster run stopper, but a sub-par pass rusher. While it is true that Davis is an unstoppable force in the run game, the tools and potential are there for him to become an excellent pass rusher as well. That being said, rushing the passer is Davis’s greatest weakness, and will need to improve to become an every down player in the NFL. In the words of Sports Illustrated’s Jordan Pun, “If Davis is to return good value as a top-20 pick, he must improve his ability to collapse the pocket and alter the quarterback.” He has the power, quickness and arm length to do so, and it’s just a matter of executing consistently. ”While Davis may not be a polished product yet, the 22 year old has improved every year he has played football. If Jordan Davis is still available when the Packers first round pick comes up, Brian Gutekunst should certainly give heavy consideration to the giant Dawg.
