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Can someone please explain the Will Davis pick?

Discussion in 'Miami Dolphins Forum' started by UCF FINatic, Apr 27, 2013.

  1. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

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    Just a little bummed about this pick and was curious about what others thought.

    Just my notes real quick:


    Can't get off blocks (even from smaller WRs)
    Lacks "nastiness"
    NOT a willing tackler
    shies away from all contact
    Constantly stands 5 feet from the ball carrier and watches his teammates make the tackle
    Arm tackles, when he decides to "try" to tackle
    Would rather stand around or run into blockers than try to tackle a HB
    Can run and stick with WRs one play then get burned the next play
    Flagged often due to poor body control and the fact the he likes to grab
    Beaten by inferior opponents
    Lined up in press and off man a lot
    Has some ball skills

    I just don't see what our Front Office saw in him. His lack of physicality is really troubling to me. I'm even more dumbfounded that we traded up for him.

    Thanks in advance!
     
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  2. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    We need corners, he can play the nickel, and Jamar will play the boundary...
     
  3. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    I think you covered it all, they just drafted him to frustrate you.
     
  4. Phoenician Fan

    Phoenician Fan Well-Known Member

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    If Bryan McCann is successful in AZ I'm really going to want an answer for this crap.

    Looks like a waste of two mid round picks for nothing.
     
  5. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

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    Always love your insight stiches :hi5:
     
  6. Stitches

    Stitches ThePhin's Biggest Killjoy Luxury Box

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    I mean you said the same thing about him like 15 different ways, so I'm not sure what anyone could possibly say that would make you change your mind and feel better about the selection.

    None of us know exactly what the FO saw in him, but obviously it was different from what you saw.
     
  7. Paul 13

    Paul 13 Chaotic Neutral & Unstable Genius Staff Member

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    http://www.miamidolphins.com/news/a...ll-Davis/fd2d60d6-b927-4304-8b4b-303c48a51460

     
  8. DOLFANMIKE

    DOLFANMIKE FOOTBALL COACH 32 YEARS Luxury Box

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    I think they like his cover skills, but understand he has some progress to make as an all around player at CB
     
  9. Perfectville_USA

    Perfectville_USA Mr Perfect

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    How many times you see Will Davis play? Thanks for your great insight on him. As you are the Will Davis expert on this forum.
     
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  10. Limbo

    Limbo Mad Stillz

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    Best cod drills at the combine, really fluid athlete, nice length, rangy, hasn't been playing football long. Been reading that pretty much across the sites.
     
  11. NUGap

    NUGap Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    Davis flagged 6 times all season, Jamar Taylor 5 times, Desmond Trufant: 6, Xavier Rhodes: 5

    Had 22 passes defensed last year, Jamar Taylor: 13, Dee Milliner: 21, Xavier Rhodes: 10

    In his three games against BCS teams (Utah, Wisconsin, BYU) he was targeted 7 times and beat on 3. The teams threw a combined 75 times in those three games and he was beaten 3. Now I don't have his full stats from the entire year, but he wasn't getting burned a ridiculous amount.

    Yes, he's a pretty bad tackler and that may make you sour on him, but he's not the worst pick ever.
     
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  12. djphinfan

    djphinfan Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    They saw a kid who has good Corner skills who needs to learn to finish a game..when competition within the game is peaking, he balls, but he also lets up when it isn't..

    I watched him shut out Quinton Patton for a whole half, I mean a donut, then the prevent came into play in the 2nd half, Patton kept comin, a few close plays that didnt go Davis's way, and the let down happened..
     
  13. LBsFinest

    LBsFinest Banned

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    It was Ireland's annual head scratching mid round reach.

    08: Shawn Murphy
    09: Turner
    '10: John Jerry
    '11: Daniel Thomas
    '12: Egnew
    '13: Will Davis

    sad thing is half these guys we traded up for lol.
     
  14. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

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    I don't know if you are being facetious lol. I just wrote down my thoughts on him when I watched him play, but was more so asking for others opinions about why we drafted him. I am no expert..
     
  15. UCF FINatic

    UCF FINatic The Miami Dolphins select

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    Thank you!

    I was going to point out that it makes sense he had so many pass break ups if they were targeting him, but you pointed out that teams were not in fact targeting him.

    I noticed he does have some good ball skills though I will give him that.

    His tackling just scares the crap out of me though. As is I don't think you could put him on the field; he has a lot to learn in that department. That being said, if he learns how to tackle (and wants to) he could be a great pick.
     
  16. FanMarino

    FanMarino Season Ticket Holder

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    Just my notes real quick:
    Going by your list maybe he should try a new sport. Darts? This guy did play at college level yeah?
     
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  17. electrolyte

    electrolyte New Member

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    He can get some INT's. Good ball hawk skills. He nabbed 5 interceptions in 12 games last year for Utah, and he led the ENTIRE NCAA in 22 pass deflections. He still is raw though and probably won't start right off the bat.

    Basically, we got rid of our scrub CB's Sean Smith, who was decent in coverage (mostly) but could not INT. Smith had like 4 INT's in 60+ games with us. A CB who can't get a turnover, ever, is a scrub and you don't want him on the team unless he's a bench backup while your starters are injured.

    So, basically, we got a guy in Dion Jordan to pair up with Cam Wake and create havoc for opposing offenses. Now, when a QB hurries a throw, or makes a bad throw, a guy like Davis will pick that ball off. Something which we could never get with scrubs like Smith.

    I like the strategy.
     
  18. Fin D

    Fin D Sigh

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    Coyle is known in league circles as sort of a secondary guru.

    Maybe we're confident that he can make players better in their coverage skills but as we've seen, we need players who can already catch the damn ball first.
     
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  19. Vendigo

    Vendigo German Gigolo Club Member

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    Aye, Davis is a dreadful tackler and I'm not sure he can cover particularly well, largely because he's prone to play the quarterback instead of the receiver. I will say, however, that the kid's going after the ball relentlessly. Makes you wonder if you can't turn him into a free safety and have him sit there with the play in front of him, ballhawking.
     
  20. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Raw, upside is terrific, Combine metrics are off the scale good, fast, quick, smooth, great hips, looks like he'll flourish in zone, ball skills are superb......broke up 17 balls this past season. Fling on the New Mexico State game. Look at how he moves, look at how good he is IN ZONE. They flip round coverages a lot but he's intelligent, you can see he understands offensive football, he's a very good run blitzer off the corner, his feet are good. He's in good position in an awful lot of snaps. He's gets beaten for a score and because it's not All22 film, you can't see what happens but he's stride for stride in the first twenty yards and then twenty yards later he's 6 steps behind. I assume he was expecting help over the top which never came.
     
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  21. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    One other thing, I genuinely don't get this can't tackle thing. He's a solid open field tackler. This is a good player with really good upside because his basic ability is very, very solid. Davis might be my favourite pick of our four.
     
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  22. Shamboubou

    Shamboubou Well-Known Member

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    Sean Smith was the worlds worst tackler and he figured it out. I would rather my CB have ball skills and leave most of the tackling to the meat up front.
     
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  23. Vendigo

    Vendigo German Gigolo Club Member

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    I saw him miss way too many easy tackles for my liking. A couple of times he had a clear shot at the RB who bounced it outside and ended up tackling too high or basically missing the guy completely. I'm not sure if it's a technique issue or if he's just too aggressive.
     
  24. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Don't see it, Ven. This is an aggressive tackler. Just re watched three of the six games I saw him in. Missed one tackle in the open field. Had a half a miss when he came up and stacked the guy up and spun him round but he didn't go down but held him up enough for the LB to nail him a split second later.
     
  25. Lee2000

    Lee2000 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    You have a certain wit about you Stiches.
     
  26. Lee2000

    Lee2000 Season Ticket Holder Club Member

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    He looked more complete in 2011. That La Tech game he looked tentative on running plays; I understand why people are drawing some conclusions about him. But I remember him two years ago and he looked a lot different. Under the old regime I am not sure Taylor and Davis would have been drafted.
     
  27. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Don't forget he wasn't recruited out of high school, ran track at Western Washington because they disbanded the football team, had a year of JUCO so in 2011 he was playing his first year of proper college ball. Bright kid, a true leader. Good, good pick.
     
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  28. Vendigo

    Vendigo German Gigolo Club Member

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    Well, when I take a look at the LA Tech game (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCDCJ6jiSko as a reference) I see him miss a rather easy tackle on the 4th play, followed by a lousy effort on the next one. In addition, I rarely, if ever, see him shed a block in the run game; if he's blocked by a WR, he's doing a "let's pretend I try to fight back" routine. Quite often, say the play at the 4:15 mark, he also can't be bothered to tackle at all and rather stands idly by while his teammates make the effort.
     
  29. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Hadn't seen that game. Not indicative of the six games I saw him in. Check out San Jose State for example.
     
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  30. Vendigo

    Vendigo German Gigolo Club Member

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    Interesting. I hadn't seen that one and on the first couple of plays alone he gives more effort than in the whole LA Tech game.
     
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  31. jw3102

    jw3102 season ticket holder

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    Don't worry about Davis, he probably won't be on the roster once the regular season begins anyway. Like you, I have no idea what Ireland was thinking when he made this selection. The Dolphins do need CB's, but they need CB's who can actually be effective at the NFL level. I don't think Davis is one of these type CB's.
     
  32. Shamboubou

    Shamboubou Well-Known Member

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    Maybe he was banged up a little for that game. You can't make a conclusion about a player looking at one out two games.
     
  33. Vendigo

    Vendigo German Gigolo Club Member

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    Who says I only looked at one or two games? I used that one as an example because Boom said he didn't see any tackling issues on tape and they're clearly evident in this game. Plus, the game's on Youtube, so everyone has access.
     
  34. Boomer

    Boomer Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Best post in the history of this forum. Mods, can we save this and use as motivational speak for attracting more fans to this place?
     
  35. VanDolPhan

    VanDolPhan Club member Club Member

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    LOL. Only guy on this forum whose on my ignore list. Takes a real talent to land there.
     
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  36. FinNasty

    FinNasty Alabama don’t want this... Staff Member Club Member

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    We actually traded down for him. We essentially moved down from 82 to 93, exchanging a 5th and 7th for an early 4th in the process, and drafted him... if that makes you feel better about it.
     
  37. padre31

    padre31 Premium Member Luxury Box

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    Well, it's really quite simple, Davis is here to counter the pats use of Rb's/Amendola in the slot torching the defense, he may not tackle exceptionally well, BUT, he has to quicks to try and limit the damage that maneuver has done to us over the years.
     
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  38. Shamboubou

    Shamboubou Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure who said that? I looked back through the posts and could find anybody who said you only looked at one our two games.
     
  39. The G Man

    The G Man Git 'r doooonnne!!!

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    From NFL.com:

    We gave up a 4th round (No. 109), a 5th round (No. 146) and a 7th round (No. 224) to move back into the round for a guy that still needs to be developed? That's not a very good use of draft picks IMHO.
     
  40. Da 'Fins

    Da 'Fins Season Ticket Holder Staff Member Club Member

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    I found this pretty interesting at NFL Draft Scout (Not intended as part of the debate on Davis, just interesting):

     
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