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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...s_drafts_top_tackle_keeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html
Mystery man: Rutgers' Anthony Davis, perhaps draft's top tackle, keeps NFL scouts guessing
By Ebenezer Samuel
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, March 27th 2010, 2:27 PM
Denver for NewsRutgers tackle Anthony Davis may be best offensive lineman in next month's draft, but some question his desire. Related NewsArticlesMyers: Eagles eye trade of QB Donovan McNabbWashington's no-show bothers Ryan big-timeRaissman: HBO wanted Gang last year, tooRex is ready for his closeup with HeatherAnthony Davis isn't on the practice field, and his would-be audience is anything but pleased.
It's a cool Wednesday in mid-March, and nearly 50 NFL scouts have flocked to the practice bubble at Rutgers University in Piscataway for Scarlet Knights Pro Day. Davis is supposed to be the main attraction, but the massive left tackle who oozes natural talent is MIA. He's supposed to be redeeming himself after a poor workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, dazzling scouts with his off-the-charts athleticism.
He's supposed to be making league execs rethink their draft boards, and they just may be. The tackle-needy Seahawks are here, as well are the Commanders, Chiefs and Jaguars, all with multiple scouts, all here to watch Davis.
But Davis is miles away in his hotel room, battling a stomach virus and a bum hamstring, he says. It's a seemingly legitimate excuse - you can‘t register a good 40-yard dash time when you can barely make it from bed to bathroom - but the invisible man act hardly has coaches pleased.
It's yet another blemish for a once-promising NFL draft prospect. When Davis decided in December to forego his senior year at Rutgers, the 20-year-old was instantly coveted as the top blindside protector in a class loaded with quality offensive tackles. Scouts saw a vicious blocker with ultra-quick feet, and Davis seemed like a lock to become the highest draft pick in Rutgers history.
But the player once considered a surefire top-10 pick is now battling questions about his demeanor and desire. Add in a handful of suspensions — a one-game penalty for a violation of team rules in 2008 and a one-quarter suspension for being late to a team meeting in 2009 — and now Davis' stock is falling, perhaps to the bottom of the first round.
He hopes to stop the freefall when he holds a private workout on Tuesday, but scouts already have clouded opinions of the 6-5, 330-pound lineman.
"I think he has the tools to be a very good player," says scouting guru and former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt. "He has a lot of upside; he'll make some squad very happy or he'll be a disappointment."
Davis disagrees with such assessments. In between grimacing and grabbing his stomach in his hotel room, he'll tell you he's the "best tackle in the draft." And he'll tell you he doesn't need a workout to prove that, not when he has mountains of game tape that shows him dominating such players as South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, another likely first-rounder.
But he'll also smirk a bit if you mention how Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell has scouts abuzz thanks to an Adonis physique and a phenomenal combine performance.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...ackle_keeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html#ixzz0jadzkNiq
Page 2 of 3)
"Teams aren't paying me to work out," he says. "They're paying me to put the pads on. And when you get me in pads, I'm the best (tackle) in the draft."
Sure, he rips the draft-preparation process, but he just may be right. Davis always seems to be the best when he‘s on the football field. He started playing as a sophomore at Piscataway H.S., just a few miles from the Rutgers campus, and he was instantly inserted as a starting tackle on a team that included current Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and ballyhooed Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson.
Davis already weighed more than 300 pounds then, and he quickly developed into a pancaking blocker. By his senior year, Davis was a promising college prospect, earning an invite to the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He chose Rutgers over Ohio State, opting to stay close to home.
"I had like a 100 scholarship offers," he says. "But Rutgers just felt right."
Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano didn't argue. Davis dominated practices so routinely during his freshman year in 2007 that the coach made him a starter by the Knights' sixth game.
"Anthony was a heck of an athlete," Schiano says. "He was so good — and I don't say this often — that if I had to do it again, I would have put him in earlier."
Rutgers' rushing game awoke behind Davis. Then-senior tailback Ray Rice who had been held below 100 rushing yards in three straight games before Davis became a starter, averaged 173.8 yards per game thereafter, en route to a school-record 2,012 yards.
"Anthony's gonna be a stud in the NFL," says Rice, a Pro Bowler with the Baltimore Ravens this past season. "He's got all the tools. Anthony Davis will be as good as Anthony Davis wants to be."
But how good does Davis want to be? Sports have always come easily to Davis. Before football, Davis ruled the basketball court, and he says he can still do "anything with a basketball." Rutgers teammates recount stories of him dunking in pickup games, and while he didn't live in the Scarlet Knights weight room, he did slim down from 366 pounds after arriving at Rutgers.
Davis says he's a fierce competitor, so fierce he can vividly recall the only two sacks he gave up this past fall.
"They were in the season opener (against Cincinnati)," he says. "One was on an up-and-under move. The other came on a play when the quarterback scrambled — it wasn't my fault."
He says it took weeks to get over those plays, because he'd set a goal to allow no sacks throughout the year.
That zeal has been absent to scouts. They've only seen him underwhelm at the combine, benching 225 pounds just 21 times, four fewer reps than former H.S. teammate Wilson. They've seen him finish the 40-yard dash in a pedestrian 5.38 seconds, more than a half-second slower than Campbell.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...eeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html?page=1#ixzz0jadp1o07
(Page 3 of 3)
And they've seen him no-show at Rutgers' Pro Day, despite a collection of suits who desperately wanted to believe in his ability.
"The kid's got left-tackle feet," says one NFC scout. "When you're special like him, we're going to overlook a lot of things."
The same scout says he wouldn't have cared if Davis struggled through drills during Pro Day; he would have been satisfied just knowing the lineman was hungry to perform. That's what teammate Devin McCourty did; the touted cornerback was drawing first-round interest after a standout Combine performance, but he needed to be talked out of a full Pro Day workout.
"It's not about the numbers," the scout says. "But you like to see the kids compete."
"Scouts wanna see guys that have worked out and put the effort in," adds Brandt. "They wanna see guys who have worked out three, three-and-a-half hours a day."
Scouts are undecided about whether Davis can be that guy, and even Davis has little interest in being a workout warrior. But Davis promises this much: He wouldn't be here, battling questions and enduring incredulity, if he wasn't sure he could play.
"The reason I came out early is because I thought I was ready," he says. "This is my dream."
The 2010 draft class is loaded with talented tackles; five or six could go in the first round. Here’s a look at what scouts think of this year’s top prospects:
Best Blindsiders
Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, Sr.: A four-year starter, Bulaga is big (6-5, 314 pounds) and strong. His one weakness: lack of mobility. "Very strong guy," says former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt. "But he doesn't have great feet."
Bruce Campbell, Maryland, Jr.: Campbell started just 17 of 27 games with the Terps, but impressed with his chiseled 6-7, 310-pound physique and athleticism (4.85, 40-yard dash) at the Combine. "You hear that stuff," one scout says. "But it's not just about athleticism."
Anthony Davis, Rutgers, Jr.: "He's still my top tackle," says one scout. "You can't teach feet like he has." Davis didn't set the Combine afire, but did flash his athleticism with a 33-inch vertical leap.
Vladimir Ducasse, UMass, Sr.: A native of Haiti, the 6-4, 332-pounder has the girth and quick feet of a tackle, but a lack of experience against top-tier competition could mean a few years playing guard. "His footwork is tremendous," says thescout.
Russell Okung, Oklahoma St., Sr.: At 6-5, 307 pounds, Okung has a prototypical left tackle's build — and four years of starting experience. "And he's got long arms. If I'm picking, he's my top tackle," says Brandt
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...eeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html?page=2#ixzz0jadKXgh6
Mystery man: Rutgers' Anthony Davis, perhaps draft's top tackle, keeps NFL scouts guessing
By Ebenezer Samuel
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Saturday, March 27th 2010, 2:27 PM
Denver for NewsRutgers tackle Anthony Davis may be best offensive lineman in next month's draft, but some question his desire. Related NewsArticlesMyers: Eagles eye trade of QB Donovan McNabbWashington's no-show bothers Ryan big-timeRaissman: HBO wanted Gang last year, tooRex is ready for his closeup with HeatherAnthony Davis isn't on the practice field, and his would-be audience is anything but pleased.
It's a cool Wednesday in mid-March, and nearly 50 NFL scouts have flocked to the practice bubble at Rutgers University in Piscataway for Scarlet Knights Pro Day. Davis is supposed to be the main attraction, but the massive left tackle who oozes natural talent is MIA. He's supposed to be redeeming himself after a poor workout at the NFL Scouting Combine, dazzling scouts with his off-the-charts athleticism.
He's supposed to be making league execs rethink their draft boards, and they just may be. The tackle-needy Seahawks are here, as well are the Commanders, Chiefs and Jaguars, all with multiple scouts, all here to watch Davis.
But Davis is miles away in his hotel room, battling a stomach virus and a bum hamstring, he says. It's a seemingly legitimate excuse - you can‘t register a good 40-yard dash time when you can barely make it from bed to bathroom - but the invisible man act hardly has coaches pleased.
It's yet another blemish for a once-promising NFL draft prospect. When Davis decided in December to forego his senior year at Rutgers, the 20-year-old was instantly coveted as the top blindside protector in a class loaded with quality offensive tackles. Scouts saw a vicious blocker with ultra-quick feet, and Davis seemed like a lock to become the highest draft pick in Rutgers history.
But the player once considered a surefire top-10 pick is now battling questions about his demeanor and desire. Add in a handful of suspensions — a one-game penalty for a violation of team rules in 2008 and a one-quarter suspension for being late to a team meeting in 2009 — and now Davis' stock is falling, perhaps to the bottom of the first round.
He hopes to stop the freefall when he holds a private workout on Tuesday, but scouts already have clouded opinions of the 6-5, 330-pound lineman.
"I think he has the tools to be a very good player," says scouting guru and former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt. "He has a lot of upside; he'll make some squad very happy or he'll be a disappointment."
Davis disagrees with such assessments. In between grimacing and grabbing his stomach in his hotel room, he'll tell you he's the "best tackle in the draft." And he'll tell you he doesn't need a workout to prove that, not when he has mountains of game tape that shows him dominating such players as South Florida defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, another likely first-rounder.
But he'll also smirk a bit if you mention how Maryland tackle Bruce Campbell has scouts abuzz thanks to an Adonis physique and a phenomenal combine performance.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...ackle_keeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html#ixzz0jadzkNiq
Page 2 of 3)
"Teams aren't paying me to work out," he says. "They're paying me to put the pads on. And when you get me in pads, I'm the best (tackle) in the draft."
Sure, he rips the draft-preparation process, but he just may be right. Davis always seems to be the best when he‘s on the football field. He started playing as a sophomore at Piscataway H.S., just a few miles from the Rutgers campus, and he was instantly inserted as a starting tackle on a team that included current Saints safety Malcolm Jenkins and ballyhooed Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson.
Davis already weighed more than 300 pounds then, and he quickly developed into a pancaking blocker. By his senior year, Davis was a promising college prospect, earning an invite to the prestigious U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He chose Rutgers over Ohio State, opting to stay close to home.
"I had like a 100 scholarship offers," he says. "But Rutgers just felt right."
Scarlet Knights coach Greg Schiano didn't argue. Davis dominated practices so routinely during his freshman year in 2007 that the coach made him a starter by the Knights' sixth game.
"Anthony was a heck of an athlete," Schiano says. "He was so good — and I don't say this often — that if I had to do it again, I would have put him in earlier."
Rutgers' rushing game awoke behind Davis. Then-senior tailback Ray Rice who had been held below 100 rushing yards in three straight games before Davis became a starter, averaged 173.8 yards per game thereafter, en route to a school-record 2,012 yards.
"Anthony's gonna be a stud in the NFL," says Rice, a Pro Bowler with the Baltimore Ravens this past season. "He's got all the tools. Anthony Davis will be as good as Anthony Davis wants to be."
But how good does Davis want to be? Sports have always come easily to Davis. Before football, Davis ruled the basketball court, and he says he can still do "anything with a basketball." Rutgers teammates recount stories of him dunking in pickup games, and while he didn't live in the Scarlet Knights weight room, he did slim down from 366 pounds after arriving at Rutgers.
Davis says he's a fierce competitor, so fierce he can vividly recall the only two sacks he gave up this past fall.
"They were in the season opener (against Cincinnati)," he says. "One was on an up-and-under move. The other came on a play when the quarterback scrambled — it wasn't my fault."
He says it took weeks to get over those plays, because he'd set a goal to allow no sacks throughout the year.
That zeal has been absent to scouts. They've only seen him underwhelm at the combine, benching 225 pounds just 21 times, four fewer reps than former H.S. teammate Wilson. They've seen him finish the 40-yard dash in a pedestrian 5.38 seconds, more than a half-second slower than Campbell.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...eeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html?page=1#ixzz0jadp1o07
(Page 3 of 3)
And they've seen him no-show at Rutgers' Pro Day, despite a collection of suits who desperately wanted to believe in his ability.
"The kid's got left-tackle feet," says one NFC scout. "When you're special like him, we're going to overlook a lot of things."
The same scout says he wouldn't have cared if Davis struggled through drills during Pro Day; he would have been satisfied just knowing the lineman was hungry to perform. That's what teammate Devin McCourty did; the touted cornerback was drawing first-round interest after a standout Combine performance, but he needed to be talked out of a full Pro Day workout.
"It's not about the numbers," the scout says. "But you like to see the kids compete."
"Scouts wanna see guys that have worked out and put the effort in," adds Brandt. "They wanna see guys who have worked out three, three-and-a-half hours a day."
Scouts are undecided about whether Davis can be that guy, and even Davis has little interest in being a workout warrior. But Davis promises this much: He wouldn't be here, battling questions and enduring incredulity, if he wasn't sure he could play.
"The reason I came out early is because I thought I was ready," he says. "This is my dream."
The 2010 draft class is loaded with talented tackles; five or six could go in the first round. Here’s a look at what scouts think of this year’s top prospects:
Best Blindsiders
Bryan Bulaga, Iowa, Sr.: A four-year starter, Bulaga is big (6-5, 314 pounds) and strong. His one weakness: lack of mobility. "Very strong guy," says former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt. "But he doesn't have great feet."
Bruce Campbell, Maryland, Jr.: Campbell started just 17 of 27 games with the Terps, but impressed with his chiseled 6-7, 310-pound physique and athleticism (4.85, 40-yard dash) at the Combine. "You hear that stuff," one scout says. "But it's not just about athleticism."
Anthony Davis, Rutgers, Jr.: "He's still my top tackle," says one scout. "You can't teach feet like he has." Davis didn't set the Combine afire, but did flash his athleticism with a 33-inch vertical leap.
Vladimir Ducasse, UMass, Sr.: A native of Haiti, the 6-4, 332-pounder has the girth and quick feet of a tackle, but a lack of experience against top-tier competition could mean a few years playing guard. "His footwork is tremendous," says thescout.
Russell Okung, Oklahoma St., Sr.: At 6-5, 307 pounds, Okung has a prototypical left tackle's build — and four years of starting experience. "And he's got long arms. If I'm picking, he's my top tackle," says Brandt
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...eeps_nfl_scouts_gue.html?page=2#ixzz0jadKXgh6
