On April 27th when the Miami Dolphins selected cornerback Will Davis of Utah State, some fans groaned slightly about the pick in the third round. While the Dolphins traded with the Green Bay Packers into the third round to get him, most fans had little or no idea who Will Davis was.
Davis came into the list of draf prospects ranked 124th by NFL.com and not high on most lists for the first few rounds due to his limited experience playing football. While not well known playing at Utah State in the Mountain West Conference Davis has demonstrated an ability to overcome challenges.
His first experience playing out of high school at Western Washington College was cut short due the school cancelling their football program entirely.
With no where to go, Davis landed softly on his feet in Cupertino, California where he showcased his talents against elite junior college players as a starter at De Anza College playing against the best of the best at Fresno City College and San Francisco City College. Both programs have an enormous amount of talent to feed any big conference school.
With more hard work and determination Davis landed at Utah State for the 2011 season and never looked back. In 13 games Davis amassed 35 tackles and six passes defensed. In his final season at USU, Davis returned an interception for a touchdown and became a force in the Mountain West Conference. Let's not forget the Mountain West conference has a share of talents stemming from the rise of Boise State, Nevada's pistol offense, and the in-state competition between both BYU and Utah.
The things that stand out most about Davis is he can play off the ball as well as use his hands to get positioning on a receiver. He doesn't get grabby, which is a trait that coach Kevin Coyle will appreciate.
Will Davis has brought forth his A-game in college in the limited time he spent there, but his athleticism, versatility, and speed make him a valuable asset for this season and could be an interesting tandem with Jamar Taylor on the other side.
As the team's roster takes shape before training camp, count on Davis to be the guy that maybe can take it to the house for six and won't shush the home crowd.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!