#14 - 1st Round - Carolina Thomas Davis, LB, Georgia

[Hostile]

Panthers select...Thomas Davis, LB, Georgia.

[canters]

qb rogers here.

[Shotgun Dave]

Alex Barron will be the pick. Their o-line is in shambles.

[jsond]

Alex Barron will be the pick. Their o-line is in shambles.

agree 100% would be very surprised if that isnt the pick

[StanleySpadowski]

I'm hoping it's Barron, because that only helps Dallas.

[k19]

I agree Barron Helps us, any O pick helps us at this point

[Duane]

Barron or Barnes

[jsond]

thanks carolina take someone we shouldnt be interested in and hopefully someone takes barron before us

[Shotgun Dave]

Alex Barron will be the pick. Their o-line is in shambles.

I forget what my record is now but that pick is SHOCKING.

Thomas Davis should not go this high, IMO.

This draft is getting more and more strange.

[Nors]

I forget what my record is now but that pick is SHOCKING.

Thomas Davis should not go this high, IMO.

This draft is getting more and more strange.

I had him #10 on my board - flat out football player. 13 teams may regret passing on him 10 years from now.

[StarHead69]

DJ, Spears, or Barron at #20!!!! c'mon KC, take Erasmus James or Travis Johnson :D

[Juke99]

Thomas Davis, SS+OLB, Georgia
Height: 6:00.6 Weight: 231


USA TODAY
Thomas Davis

Overview: Thomas Davis is regarded by many as one of the finest athletes ever produced by Georgia. Blessed with the size of a linebacker and the quickness of a cornerback, Davis has been a major force for the Bulldogs since making his way into the lineup as a freshman. A Class AA All-State honorable mention by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Sports Writers Association as a senior at Randolph-Clay (Shellman, Ga.) High, Davis was also named team MVP. The versatile athlete competed as a running back, quarterback, defensive end, defensive back, wide receiver, punter, kicker, and kickoff returner at various times throughout his career. He rushed for 1,032 yards as a senior and averaged 30 yards per reception as a junior. Davis holds the school record for touchdowns scored in a game with five and also averaged 30 yards a punt. He led the region in scoring as a senior with 108 points in the regular season and had two kickoff returns, one punt return, and one fumble return for touchdowns. He also played baseball and ran track, qualifying for the state meet in the 100 meters. Davis redshirted as a freshman in 2001, then saw action in every game as a free safety and strong-side outside linebacker in 2002. He started four games during his freshman year, recording 61 tackles (39 solo) with three sacks, four stops for losses, 11 quarterback pressures, three fumble recoveries, three pass deflections and an interception. In 2003, Davis earned All-American second-team honors from The Sporting News and was a consensus All-Southeastern Conference choice. He entered fall camp as the starting strong-side linebacker, but injuries in the secondary forced him to shift to free safety before the season opener. Davis would go on to record a career-high 138 tackles (89 solo) with 4.5 sacks, eight stops behind the line of scrimmage and 12 quarterback pressures. He recovered a fumble for a touchdown, caused two fumbles, returned a blocked punt for a score and intercepted a pass. The consensus All-American and All-SEC pick again lined up at free safety in 2004. Davis was forced to sit out the Kentucky game with knee and ankle sprains, but still managed to lead the team in tackles. He collected 81 hits (57 solo) with three sacks, five stops for losses, four pressures, three forced fumbles, an interception and four pass breakups. Davis opted to enter the 2005 NFL Draft rather than return to school for his final season. He finished his Georgia career with 25 starts in 39 games. Davis posted 272 tackles (179 solo) with 10.5 sacks for minus-75 yards, 17 stops for losses of 101 yards and 27 quarterback pressures. He recovered four fumbles for 23 yards in returns and a touchdown and also caused six fumbles. Davis gained 45 yards on three interceptions, 25 yards and a score on two blocked punts and deflected nine passes.

Analysis: Positives... Does everything the coaches ask, is a workout warrior and pushes others when they see his work ethic. ... Has good field smarts and is quick to see and read plays, especially the run. ... Shows quick reaction to what he sees in front of him and he is rarely caught out of position. ... Can lay back and play centerfield with good timing to make the play on the ball. ... Has good timing ability on his leaps going for the ball, showing good arm extension to get to the pigskin at its high point. ... Has outstanding range, doing a very good job of covering ground in a hurry. ... Quick to support against the run, showing good explosion when closing. ... Has the height and speed to match up against any tight end, running back or receiver. ... Big hitter who can blow opponents up if he's on track. ... Does a good job of breaking down, facing up and wrapping. ... Has enough speed to trail tight ends, running backs and slot receivers. ... Keeps things in front of him in zone coverage, showing very good range and takes proper angles in pursuit. ... Quick to step up and plug the rush lanes, showing a good feel for the support lanes and will generally take good angles to get to the ball. ... Davis's good strength allows for him to display explosive hitting ability. ... Uses his hands effectively to shed blocks and will not hesitate to throw himself into the pile to sniff out the ball. ... Excellent blitzer who can come off the edge with explosion or use his club and rip moves to shed, stack and control to shoot the inside gaps.

Negatives... Plays with reckless abandon, but needs to improve his plant-and-drive, as he will get a little too reckless and over-pursue. ... Shows good lateral agility, but is a little stiff in his hips and this is noticeable when he tries to change direction taking on the inside slot receivers. ... Adequate at timing his leaps, but struggles to look in the ball in over his shoulders or when his back is turned to the ball. ... Seems to want to attack and punish the ball carrier too much, taking away from his primary assignment -- searching out the ball.

Agility tests: 4.54 in the 40-yard dash...355-pound bench press...520-pound squat...324-pound hang clean...34-inch vertical jump.

High school: Attended Randolph-Clay (Shellman, Ga.) High, playing football for coach Jim McFather. ... Class AA All-State honorable mention by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia Sports Writers Association. ... Team MVP as a senior. ... Played running back, wide receiver, quarterback, defensive end, defensive back, punter, kicker, and kick returner at various times throughout his career. ... Rushed for 1,032 yards as a senior. ... Averaged 30 yards per reception as a junior. ... Holds the school record for touchdowns scored in a game with five. ... Averaged 30 yards per punt. ... Led the region in scoring as a senior with 108 points in the regular season. ... Had two kickoff returns, one punt return, and one fumble return for touchdowns. ... Also played baseball and ran track. ... Qualified for the state meet in the 100 meters.

Personal: Consumer Economics major. ... Born 3/22/83. ... Resides in Shellman, Georgia.