The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Tyler Davis.
Davis has a specific traits profile that will project his transition to the next level as base-defense defensive tackle much in the way that Derrick Nnadi made the transition when he came out of Florida State to the Kansas City Chiefs as a third-round pick in the 2018 draft. Davis has lighter feet and is a better inside pass rusher than Nnadi, which could present a slightly different projection, especially as teams look at what Davis could become in two to three years with coaching and experience.
Davis was quick and explosive off the snap at times looking sudden and twitchy in his movement for an interior DL and his first step juice to attack and penetrate gaps and be effective on slants and inside stunts (which Clemson featured) consistently showed up on film, Davis showed excellent bend and flexibility for a DT with his stout body type and he was able to re-direct and change direction with efficient lateral mobility;
He was more of an athletic inside defensive tackle than a power force player (although that was there on his tape), but it is not likely he will be seen especially early in his career as a sub-front pass rusher. However, I believe he can develop into a quality inside pass rusher with him having shown many flashes on tape.
In some ways, Davis is a bit of an anomaly in that his game is built more on finesse and quickness and athleticism. But his stout body type suggests a more physical, point-of-attack defensive tackle, which he showed but which was not the strength of his game.
Overall, Davis has a desirable combination of quickness and confined-space short-stroke strength despite lacking the mass and arm length teams ideally want. He's a player I liked the more I saw his tape.
Davis came out of Florida as a consensus 4-star recruit and a top-100 player in the nation regardless of position. He became a starter in his freshman season (2019).
In 2022, Davis lined up at 1-technique, 2-technique, 2i and 0-technique depending on defensive front personnel and down and distance. Davis was dominant vs. NC State in 2022.
In 2023, there were third-down pass rush snaps where Davis lined up at wide-9 defensive end. At times from that alignment, he was a penetrator in multiple stunt concepts. He was also featured as both a looper and a penetrator in inside stunt concepts when aligned at 2- and 3-technique.
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