From now until the 2022 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, I’ll be profiling Georgia NT Jordan Davis.
#99 Jordan Davis/NT Georgia – 6063, 341 lbs.
Combine Attendee
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Davis | 6063/341 | 10 3/4 | 34 | 81 1/8 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| 4.78 | 1.68 | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| 10’3″ | 32 | N/A |
The Good
— Rare size with unique blend of athleticism for his height/weight, fluid-mover and supreme athlete both in tape and a 99 percentile athlete in testing
— Great length and physically-imposing frame, “planet theory” type of player
— Shows surprising quickness off the snap of the ball, capable one-gapper and two-gap plugger
— Controls blocks well with length and strength, doesn’t struggle with leverage much for a player of his height and physically overpowers and overwhelms guards/centers, plays with good pad level and hand placement
— Length allows him to keep vision on the ball, quickly stacks and sheds and able to make tackles at the line of scrimmage
— Play routinely forces backs to bounce/spill run wide, changes how offenses can play and gives defensive structure more options/versatility
— Able to collapse pocket with bull rush, flashes an effective club with quickness to win inside if the center/guard doesn’t have any help
— Runs to the ball hard and able to make plays on the perimeter
— Athleticism allows him to be used on stunts, able to contain and loop around the front
— Great personality and regarded as solid teammate who wants to see others succeed
— Part of great system/scheme with tremendous coaching staff
— Played against elite college competition and did well against top opponents
— Good sack production for position/role/size
The Bad
— Athleticism doesn’t always translate to pass-rush ability, gets stuck on blocks and hand use is underdeveloped
— Lacks counter move when initial rush (bull/club) fails and his rushes quickly stall out, looks to get hands up in throwing lane pretty early in rush, only had one PD in career too
— Still a bit scheme-limited and isn’t a conventional one-gapper/penetrator and is best along the interior over center or guard
— Not an everydown player, used on roughly half the snaps at Georgia in games watched and taken off the field on third downs
— Will be questions about positional value/snap count given early draft status
— Can be late with his eyes to find the ball, getting him out of position
— NFL sack production will be limited, won’t have more than a handful per season
Bio
— Three-year starter for the Bulldogs (33 official starts)
— 22 years old
— Career: 90 tackles (11.5 TFL) 7 sacks
— 2021: 32 tackles (5 TFL) 2 sacks
— Posted second highest RAS (Relative Athletic Score) ever recorded, only trailing WR Calvin Johnson
— SEC/AP 20211st Team selection
— Four-star recruit out of HS, chose Georgia over Florida, Miami (FL), Michigan among others
— Also offered by NC State, recruited by Steelers’ RBs Coach Eddie Faulkner
— Played at around 360 pounds his senior season at Georgia, got down to 341 for Combine
— Played basketball in high school
Tape Breakdown
Of all the Bill Parcells Planet Theory guys, those with size and speed that you just can’t teach, Jordan Davis is its king. Its posterchild, the unicorns of the unicorns. 341 pounds who can run in the 4.7’s. This isn’t your old-school Sam Adams, Ted Washington, or even Casey Hampton. This is a big plugger who can move like a guy 40 pounds lighter. And makes Jordan Davis a joy to watch and frankly, a pretty quick study.
Despite his athletic ability, the team who drafts him will do so chiefly to stop the run. Which Davis can certainly do. He towers over guards and centers and has the length and surprising pad level to consistently control and shed blocks. Here’s just a couple of examples. Watch him force the RB to bounce in some of these clips, too. He changes how offenses can run the ball which is to say, up the A gaps isn’t an option.
But he can one-gap too. He can slant and shoot a gap and make plays at or behind the line of scrimmage. He isn’t just an old-school, Okie Front plugger.
But it’s his athleticism on tape that really separates himself from all the rest. He can make plays sideline-to-sideline and makes plays out on the perimeter. Watch him make the tackle on this WR screen.
And here against Cincinnati, chasing the QB laterally and cleaning up for the sack.
However, while he is a great athlete, that doesn’t automatically equate to being an effective pass rusher. That’s true of anyone regardless of size or position. Davis can push the pocket and flashes an effective club move but is lacking a real go-to move and if his initial rush doesn’t work, he quickly stalls out.
Conclusion
Still, his overall talent and unique traits are undeniable. And based on media interviews and other insight about Davis as a person, he sounds like a great guy and ideal teammate who wants to win and see his guys succeed. He checks a ton of boxes. Sure, there will be concerns about his everydown value but he will create some noise as a pass rusher. Won’t be a 7-10 sack guy but he’ll chip in with 2-3 a season and consistently push guards and centers into the quarterback’s lap. That’s the best way to pressure a QB. And the bottom line is the goal of the draft is to add talent and guys who significantly impact your defense and force offenses to change their gameplan. Davis will do that. He’s well-worth a first round pick instead of chasing a greater positional value but worse player overall. Many other “pluggers” have recently been taken high like Vita Vea and Dexter Lawrence. And Davis is arguably better than either of them. Better than Lawrence, at least.
A comp on him is difficult to come up with because he is so unique. Vita Vea is a more obvious one I’m sure many others have offered. But I’ll go old-school with a bit Steelers’ influenced one. Davis is this era’s rare blend of size and athleticism. He’s bigger than anyone else on the field but can move so well in space. The first player in NFL history to do that was Colts/Steelers’ DT Gene “Big Daddy Lipscomb.” 6’6, 284 pounds, still big for today’s game and massive back then, he was a tremendous athlete, just like Davis, with a fun personality. Davis won’t have Big Daddy’s sack production, partly due to eras, but he’s a top talent in this draft class.
Projection: Top 15 Pick
Depot Draft Grade: 9.2 (Top 10 Pick) – Pro Bowl Talent/Day One Starter
Games Watched: vs Cincinnati (2020), at Tennessee (2021), vs Alabama (2021)
