Vernon Davis (03/2006)

Position:

TE

[official bio]

School:

Univ. of Maryland

Height:

6' 3"

Weight:

263 lbs.

General Variables:

36 out of 40

Size:

8

Strength:

10

Speed:

10

Athleticism:

8

Position Variables:

16 out of 20

Blocking:

7

Receiving:

9

Positives:

With Vernon Davis, it’s hard not to notice the measurables first – he’s a freak.  He put on quite a display at the scouting combine, causing eyeballs to pop out and tongues to hit the RCA Dome floor, when he posted a 40-time of 4.38.  But Davis is more than just speed and numbers; he has fantastic hands, and does a great job of finding space in traffic to get open.  Strength is another huge asset for Davis as well.  He’s a gym rat, and has built him self into a Mr. Universe, with less than 3% body fat.  Needless to say, it’s not going to be easy to jam him coming off the line of scrimmage unless he’s double-teamed. With his speed, it’s a given he runs well after the catch.  He has great leaping ability, and is extremely good at making the first guy miss, or if you please, he can run you over almost as easily.

Negatives:

Many people knock his height.  He’s not Tony Gonzales, or Heath Miller even, but his height isn’t any more of a problem than Antonio Gates’ height is.  However, blocking is one of his downfalls.  Even with his size and strength, his technique leaves some room for work.  Although possessing great speed, his footwork and his drop in blocking need coaching as well.  Davis could also use a little help in running his routes a little cleaner, working on his breaks and slip moves.  A little off his game at times, Vernon needs to stay focused at all times, and sharpen a few skills.

Overall:

Vernon Davis has just about every quality you could ask for in a football player.  Sure it would help to be an inch or two taller, but when it really comes down to making big plays, who’s going to notice that inch or two?  Certainly not the defender he’s running over and away from.  Vernon has the instinct to completely take over a game as we’ve seen time and time again.  He is the type of offensive player that will give defensive coordinators at the next level nightmares.  He‘s extremely difficult to cover, and it’s extremely rare for one guy to be able to bring him down.  He is definitely a tight end that will draw double coverage, and take an extra man out of the opponent’s game planning in order to account for him.

Final Word:

WOW — If Vernon can continue to turn heads at the pace he has, the sky is the limit for him.  Leap fogging names such as Marcedes Lewis and Leonard Pope was not an easy task.  Davis has the ability and the ingredients to be an awesome power in the NFL, and the ability to be an instant threat for whoever lands him.  He has shown he capable of doing some amazing things with unique athletic ability.  With the evolving role of tight ends in the NFL, which can be attributed to the emergence of athletes like Davis, we have years of entertainment ahead of us in watching him play football at the next level.