With all the new drafted players on board for the Black and Gold I took the time to reach out to some of the most knowledgeable fans, beat writers and bloggers for information on what to expect from the newest crop of talent. Davis Tull may be from UT Chattanooga but small schools have never stopped Sean Payton from turning a relative “nobody” into a star. The examples of small school studs on the Saints are countless. But will Tull be the next to succeed? I asked Gene Henley what his opinion was of the player. Gene is the beat writer for the Times Free Press, primarily covering UTC football. So he’s very familiar with Tull and has covered all his games. Here’s what he had to say:
I don’t think Davis is going to be a day-one contributor — not sure anybody does — but his mentality is that he is/was the best player in the draft. That mentality started with him being passed over for scholarship offers because of an injury that kept him out his senior season. He went to UTC with the mentality that he’s going to prove everybody wrong, and pretty sure his career was indicative of that.
Going to the league, there are questions about the possible position change to OLB, but I believe he’s going to be just fine. Maybe he can help some in pass rushing situations, while learning the new position. I do know that he’s going to do whatever it takes to be successful, and like I said earlier, he’s going to set out to prove people wrong for doubting he can’t play at the next level.
P.S. I know it’s a small sample size, but he had a sack against Tennessee despite being double-teamed most of the game. Was very disruptive against Central Michigan, who always has quality offensive lineman drafted.
So we know Tull is a physical beast with great measurables and an axe to grind. Always love having guys with a chip on their shoulder. But it sounds like it will take a little time to get him up to speed because we can count on his delivering on Sundays.
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