If Washington picked a defensive player in the first round of the NFL draft there was never a doubt who it would be because coach Ron Rivera said Kentucky linebacker Jamin Davis was the team’s highest-graded defensive player after picking him 19th Thursday night.
Davis is the third Kentucky linebacker chosen in the first round of the NFL Draft since 2015, joining Josh Allen (No. 7 to Jacksonville in 2019) and Bud Dupree (No. 22 to Pittsburgh in 2015). However, both Allen and Dupree went into their final UK season as known commodities and likely first-round draft picks.
Remember Davis came out of UK’s 2020 spring practice not even projected as a starter until returning starter Chris Oats suffered an off-field trauma that kept him from playing last season. Davis emerged as the starter and led UK in tackles with 102, including four for loss. He had three interceptions, including one he returned 85 yards for a score in a win at Tennessee.
“It’s just an unreal feeling and a dream come true,” Davis said in a conference call after he was drafted. “I’m just ready to get to work.”
Davis became one of the draft’s rising stars after his Pro Day workout at UK, including an 11-foot broad jump, a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, and a 42-inch vertical.
Davis was a humble star at UK who did not like talking about himself. He didn’t attend the draft in Cleveland even when his stock rose because he said he preferred to be home with family members in Georgia and that’s where he was when his name was called.
That humble attitude impressed Rivera, a veteran NFL coach who understands team chemistry and making sure a player is the right fit character-wise for a team. Rivera said it was “refreshing” during pre-draft interviews when Davis wanted to talk more about teammates than himself — something he did most of the 2020 season as well.
“That conversation really wasn’t about him, him, him. And that really struck me as a real positive,” the Washington coach said. “He understands our culture, he has a tremendous background, the kind of background that I look for. Very smart and intelligent young man. He’s what you look for in a football player.”
Rivera said Davis understood defensive leverage and where to fit in run lanes, something the coach said told him he could fit into a defense loaded with talented linemen that should free him up to make plays like he did for Kentucky against SEC teams.
“That’s the kind of stuff that really kind of led me into the direction of…thinking this is the right kind of young man that will fit into our program,” Riviera said.
Davis’ rise is more like a fairy tale than real life. He was a three-star recruit
“It’s a surreal feeling, but it’s not weird to me at all,” Davis said after being drafted. “My entire time, I played with a chip on my shoulder, always trusting the process. Now that everything has happened the way it has, I’m just ready to show the world who I am.
“It means the world to me. That was always something I always looked forward to, just playing behind great guys and making sure I’m having guys in practice taking everything full head of steam, making sure I’m all over the place and making plays with them.”
