100 in 100: Anthony Davis (95 of 100)

by Drew Kerr on Apr 16, 2010 3:00 PM PDT in 100 in 100 (2010)

5 MORE DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT...

Many people have speculated both positive and negative things about how well Anthony Davis will be at the next level. The biggest question mark that has been noted is his lack of work ethic. Sometimes players are just lazy and things like that cannot or will not be coached (See: JaMarcus Russell). Plenty of people will disagree saying that if he lands in the right situation, he can be coached to work hard to be a good professional. While there is truth to both those statements, it will solely be up to Davis to show the world what he is made of.

As we move closer to the draft, Davis' stock has slipped just a bit. Some of the more recent mocks I have seen have Davis being selected anywhere from the Giants all the way down to the Cowboys with the 27th Pick. There is some chance that he could end up with the 49ers with the 17th Pick if he slips past the Giants at 15. He could be an immediate starter at right tackle coming in to the league. So far, Davis has worked out and met with a few teams; the 49ers are included as one of them.

Overall, it is hard to predict how someone's game will translate in to the pro's. On one side, you have your "sure-thing" players that bust, and on the other side you have your "sure-thing busts" that turn out to be stars. The NFL Draft is one of the biggest guessing games in any pro sport. My guess is that Anthony Davis won't be anything more than an average tackle at best in the NFL. I am sure there are opinions that differ from that, but he struggled against some of the better competition of the Big East at times in the years leading up to this.

Below, we will take a look at some of Davis' highlights and then I will provide a projection on where I think he could end up in this years draft.

Anthony Davis is wearing number 75 in this video for those of you who have never seen him play. The feed here illustrates some of Davis' strengths and weaknesses. He will have to work hard at the next level.

NO STATS AVAILABLE.

SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:

Davis is a monster as far as size is concerned. He stands 6'5" tall and weighs 323 LBS. That is the one thing he has going for him, he is a mountain to get around. However, he doesn't possess quickness off the ball which often leaves him exposed agains the quicker and faster competitors. His lateral movement isn't great and he is stiff out of the snap. These weaknesses make it hard to see the positives because they are pretty vital to success for a lineman in the NFL. There are a few positives though. Davis has decent pass protection skills and holds his ground well in that regard. In the run game, he whiffs sometimes though. We will see how well he does here very shortly.

Possibilities -- 1st Round: Picks 8-32, 2nd Round: Picks 33-45. Possible teams: Raiders, Bills, Broncos, 49ers, Giants, Packers, Eagles, Cowboys.

For more 100 in 100 articles, click the link below:

http://www.ninersnation.com/section/100-in-100-2010

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Comments

I still haven’t pinned this guy down yet. He’s not very impressive looking at YouTube. He’ll have a guy blocked than let him go for some unknown reason.

I’m trying to give him a break because he’s only 20 years old. He probably came out a year to early so on one hand you can say he has lots of room for improvement and could have been top OT in 2011. On the other hand I don’t like players who enter the NFL too young. It’s takes a lot of maturity to handle the initial splash into the NFL, some guys can’t handle it, never recover and flame out.

by bignerd on Apr 16, 2010 3:48 PM PDT reply actions

I'm guessing that's why the 49ers invited him over for a chat

so they could look him over and see what they think of his attitude and maturity

Member of the legendary David Carr thread, 6 March 2010

by smileyman on Apr 16, 2010 4:06 PM PDT up reply actions

Yup, I didn't like what I saw there.

Really based off of that video, I’m not sure why is a projected 1st rounder. Maybe this was a bit put together to show his flaws? Definitely was no highlight real.

by jonesin25 on Apr 17, 2010 3:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Oh god, this guy is super-raw IMO

Whoever advised this kid to come out had to have only been thinking of the money. What I see is bad/slow footwork and he loses his balance and center of gravity a lot…I could see an NFL bull-rush pushing him back to practically falling on top of a QB, kind of like our Left Guard this past season. The other big concern is that he didn’t handle the speedy/quick guys well at all either, IMO.

The kid has the size and potential, but in my book the word “potential” means hasn’t done ****.

He will be the project of projects if we take him and I hope we don’t. I’d rather take Trent Williams if available or Iupati a little high and thus get guys who are more polished and aggressive and know more of what they are doing and supposed to do.

by jviet on Apr 16, 2010 4:26 PM PDT reply actions

forgot to mention

that I think if he had stayed in school another year or two and worked harder on his game than he might be a super-stud for later draft years.

by jviet on Apr 16, 2010 4:29 PM PDT up reply actions

From what I’ve read his footwork the was considered the most impressive during the Combine drills. Like I said above he is the ultimate question mark. Is he the guy that didn’t play well last season or the guy everyone was tracking as the best OT prospect in 2011?

by bignerd on Apr 16, 2010 4:32 PM PDT up reply actions

He may have done well at the combine

but the video above doesn’t lie. Watch how often he gets off-balance or turned sideways or is falling over. Then picture NFL defensive ends and LB’s going after him. I have a hard time seeing Davis dominating those matchups at the current time.

Just one man’s opinion.

by jviet on Apr 16, 2010 4:42 PM PDT up reply actions

Well it's a smart financial decision

if he goes in the first round (which me most likely will), he’ll make lots more money this year than he will next when there’s a rookie salary cap put in place.

Member of the legendary David Carr thread, 6 March 2010

by smileyman on Apr 16, 2010 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Yeah he doesn't appear to be a guy who will contribute all that soon

I hope Baalke and Sing know that. If we were going to get a guy with his playing style I’d rather have a guy like Ciron Black. They’re listed as being just about the same size, but Black just looks bigger and at least seems to know how to make the most of his size. Other than that, I’m not so sure they’re the type of T that is ideal from what I understand our blocking scheme will be. I would think we’d be looking at guys who are a little smaller or at least a little quicker.

Speaking of which, as far as guys who are natural RT’s, what about Selvish Capers? I saw some highlights of him and he’s not all that bad.

by Mangoman on Apr 16, 2010 4:52 PM PDT reply actions

Selvish Capers is a good option I think

and he could be had in the 3rd.

Member of the legendary David Carr thread, 6 March 2010

by smileyman on Apr 16, 2010 5:10 PM PDT up reply actions

Confused Canadian here....

Drew why is Davis ranked so low? Is this 100 in 100 just your opinion of his usefulness to SF or what? I know theres problems with his attitude and stuff but is he the 95th best prospect out there? I thought he is a first round talent.

by Rod Blogojevich on Apr 16, 2010 6:21 PM PDT reply actions

and by first round talent I just mean ive seen mocks with him going pretty high. Late first for sure….

by Rod Blogojevich on Apr 16, 2010 6:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Like would everyone be pissed if we drafted Davis at 17 if WIlliams, Okung and Bulaga were unavailable at 13

by Rod Blogojevich on Apr 16, 2010 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions

YES!

by jonesin25 on Apr 17, 2010 3:03 AM PDT up reply actions

correction

This 100 in 100 isn’t the top 100 prospects. It’s a look at 100 total prospects (as far as I know) with no specific ranking of them.

by David Fucillo on Apr 16, 2010 6:28 PM PDT up reply actions

word thanks

Oh ok, was just making sure, I know there are some Davis critics out there (not saying Drew is one because I have no idea) but I definetely did not see Davis being ranked 95th.

by Rod Blogojevich on Apr 16, 2010 8:13 PM PDT up reply actions

One thing that stands out to me in this video

is that Davis seems to sell run or pass based on his stance at the line. I’m sure that can be addressed and fixed, but it’s still a red flag. That and his work ethic questions have me worried what type of RT the team could get if selecting Davis with the 17th pick.

by Andrew Davidson on Apr 16, 2010 7:49 PM PDT reply actions