“I can go anywhere and be comfortable. With me, anything that comes my way, I’m willing to step up to the plate and deal with it.” – Vernon Davis, Terps’ tight end
As the sun was setting behind the Varsity Team House behind him, tight end Vernon Davis looked up at the spiraling football against the late afternoon sky. While his eyes were set on the ball, the wind blew it off course, but Davis slid swiftly along as though he expected it and made the catch without hesitation.
“The wind has to adjust to him,” assistant coach Dave Sollazzo said jokingly as scouts, coaches and former teammates looked on in awe of Davis’ poise.
Davis showed again yesterday in the Terrapin pro day workouts what fans had known and NFL personnel discovered at the pre-draft combine: He’s an athletic sensation who has all the tools to be a top-10 selection.
The All-American didn’t get tested for speed or strength at the pro day workout after putting up eye-popping numbers at the combine. There was no reason to. His stock couldn’t raise any higher.
Terp coach Ralph Friedgen said yesterday that no other tight end he’s ever coached possessed the mix of skills that the 6-foot-3, 250-pound Davis does.
“He’s so different than any guy,” Friedgen said. “He’s just in a class of his own as far as size, strength and speed.”
In his third and final season as a Terp, Davis caught 51 passes and averaged over 17 yards per catch. Davis blossomed and improved in every category over his three seasons finishing his college career with 9 touchdowns and 1,371 receiving yards.
After announcing he would forgo his senior season and enter the draft, those numbers were set in stone. But Davis built up a substantial reputation as a physical marvel well after he caught his last college ball.
At February’s NFL Scouting Combine, Davis was the star, putting up impressive numbers and distancing himself from the deep pack of tight ends.
He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, the same time as Miami speedster receiver Sinorice Moss. It was the fastest time ever put up at the combine by a tight end, according to www.footballsfuture.com.
The average speed for tight ends was 4.81 seconds and the next quickest time at the position was 4.54 seconds.
“He just blew it up – he did phenomenal,” said special teams coordinator Ray Rychleski. “And really, when you run the best time ever at the combine, you don’t really need to run anymore.”
But his achievements in Indianapolis didn’t stop with his speed, as Davis bench pressed 225 pounds 33 times, more than the average offensive lineman.
After astonishing scouts at the combine, Davis didn’t have any trouble with not working out yesterday beyond some catching drills.
“They classified me as the guy at the combine because of some of the records that I had broken there,” he said. “Coming here, there wouldn’t be anything else for me to do.”
ESPN’s John Clayton wrote that Davis’ only weakness at the combine was his pass-catching, something he rectified in front of 25 teams’ representatives yesterday.
Dressed in black and red Under Armour equipment, Davis walked onto the practice fields with confidence in his steps.
The coaches threw slants and curls, drifting them high and beyond the outstretched arms of wide receivers and running backs, but not beyond Davis’ grasp. Davis didn’t drop any of the balls that were thrown toward him, showcasing his speed, size, strength and hands that made him a finalist for the Mackey Award, which is given to the nation’s top tight end.
Davis walked off the field with the same confident attitude and said he’ll let his performance speak for itself.
“All I can do right now is go back, continue to train and expect phone calls,” Davis said. “It feels good, especially when you know you did a good job.”
Davis has had no problem showing off his physical tools, but the pre-draft workouts also include mental tests he has excelled in. Davis said he got 20 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, an IQ test of sorts that is given to all prospective draftees.
The Washington area native said he was well-prepared for interviews with coaches that tested his off-the-field poise.
The numbers Davis put up at the combine made his NFL Draft stock rise to the point where Todd McShay wrote he is a “lock” to be a top-15 pick. Friedgen said he tried to help Davis make the right decision on entering the draft, calling six NFL general managers and gauging his stock and that if he gets into the first round, it’s not a hard decision to make.
As of March 6, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. projected Davis to be selected by the St. Louis Rams with the No. 11 pick.
Davis has been training at the Athletes’ Performance training facility in Tempe, Ariz., since the first week in January, his agent Ethan Lock said. He will continue to work out there until the April 29 draft.
Davis said he hasn’t gone through any individual team workouts yet, but that he’ll wait for the calls from teams about workouts so he can further show off his physical gifts.
With the draft more than a month away, Davis said he hopes to be in New York April 29 and is awaiting the invitation given out to players expected to be top picks.
Throughout the draft process, Davis said he’s been anxious and excited but does feel like he’s grown out of the college mold and became a professional. Amidst the off-the-field things, Davis has proven his mettle as well.
He said teams constantly asked him why they should draft him.
“Because they want to get the best of the best,” Davis said.
Apparently he doesn’t have a confidence problem either.
Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.
