After nabbing their number one wide receiver of the future on day one of the NFL Draft in Breshad Perriman, the Ravens headed into day two with several needs along the roster. And as rounds two and three passed, they continued to work to fill those holes. After taking tight end Maxx Williams in the second, they selected Iowa defensive lineman Carl Davis in the third.
Davis was a two year starter at Iowa, racking up 14.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries in his college career. He was second team All-Big Ten in both his junior and senior seasons. Davis had a strong combine performance, running a 5.07 40 and recording a 33 inch vertical. Those are impressive numbers for a guy who goes 6’5″ and 320 pounds.
Davis also has long arms (34 5/8″) and massive hands (11″). Despite his fairly low sack total in college, Davis is a pocket pusher who demonstrated an inconsistent motor on film. The fact that he slid all the way to the third round was a big surprise to most, who considered him a late first/early second prospect. It was also a surprise to Davis, who is obviously pretty fired up about it.
"“Oh my God, it’s ridiculous,” Davis said during a conference call. “I can’t even talk right now. I’m so motivated right now. I was expecting to go somewhere. I feel like I’m one of the best defensive tackles in this year’s draft and I see a lot of guys that got picked ahead of me, and that’s a chip on my shoulder.”"
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Nobody is better at finding defensive line talent in mid rounds than the Ravens, and the fact that Carl Davis is motivated isn’t going to hurt. We saw what kind of impact Timmy Jernigan had in his first season, and I have a feeling Davis is going to make an immediate contribution as well.
I have to say that while I like the Ravens’ first and second round picks, I love this one. The Davis pick gives the Ravens a deep defensive line with a lot of young talent. While I am admittedly worried about the secondary, consistent pressure up front takes pressure off the back end of the defense. And grabbing a guy in the third round who ESPN had ranked as their 57th best player in the entire draft is what you call a steal. He’s a powerful player who is very likely to be a better pro than he was in college.
Grade: A
Next: Grading the Maxx Williams Pick
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