Anthony Davis wins Bobb McKittrick Award

49ers offensive tackle Anthony Davis sent out a tweet last night announcing that he was voted the 2012 Bobb McKittrick Award winner. The 49ers held their annual offensive linemen dinner, and it sounds like the award was announced at the dinner.

I was selected the Bobb McKittrick Award winner for 2012 by my teammates. Tonight was one of my Proudest moments. twitter.com/AnthonyDavis76…

— Bam Davis(@AnthonyDavis76) December 29, 2012

The award goes to the 49ers offensive lineman "who best exemplifies the dedication, excellence and commitment of offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, a five-time Super Bowl Champion."

You could argue this award covers the length of Davis' now almost three-year NFL career. Davis entered the league as one of the youngest players in the league, and he struggled out of the gate. He showed signs his first year, particularly in the run game, but he lacked consistency. His second year saw some improvement, but consistency in pass protection remained an issue.

In this his third year, he has taken a big step forward. He continues to be strong blocking the run run, but he is also showing considerable improvement in pass protection. While I am not always sold on the Pro Football Focus ratings, it is worth noting that he has shown improvement each year, and a sizable jump this year. In his rookie season, PFF rated him No. 74 among 78 offensive tackles. In his second year, Davis rated No. 55 out of 76 offensive tackles. This year, he is No. 20 among 76 offensive tackles, and rates very solid positive in every category (most notable in run blocking).

There is always room for growth, but he appears to be fully dedicated to being the best in the league. There were plenty of complaints early on, but the progress has been there. There is often impatience when it comes to a player's growth, but I am happy to see that AD is rewarding fans.

In case you can't read the image Davis tweeted, it describes the award as follows:

This award is given annually to the 49ers offensive lineman who best exemplifies the dedication, excellence and commitment of offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, a five-time Super Bowl Champion.

In 1999, the San Francisco 49ers, under the direction of Bill Walsh, established the Bobb McKittrick Award. The award is meant to honor those offensive linemen who have best represented the courage, intensity and sacrifice displayed by the late Coach McKittrick during his 21 years of service with the 49ers.

"Bobb gave distinguished service to the organization since our renaissance in 1979. He was a vital factor in five Super Bowl Championships, the evolution of a dynasty and in the production of some of the finest offensive linemen in football. Offensive linemen don't receive the recognition they so richly deserve. This gives us a venue to honor their sacrifices and achievements," Walsh said.

The past winners included:

1981: Keith Fahnhorst
1983: John Ayers
1984: Randy Cross
1985: Fred Quillan
1986: Keith Fahnhorst
1987: Bubba Parris
1988: Steve Wallace
1989: Harris Barton
1990: Guy McIntyre
1991: Jesse Sapolu
1992: Guy McIntyre
1993: Harris Barton
1994: Derrick Deese
1995: Kirk Scrafford
1996: Jesse Sapolu
1997: Ray Brown
1998: Chris Dalman
1999: Ray Brown
2000: Jeremy Newberry
2001: Ray Brown
2002: Scott Gragg
2003: Jeremy Newberry
2004: Kyle Kosier
2005: Jeremy Newberry
2006: Eric Heitmann
2007: Eric Heitmann
2008: Eric Heitmann
2009: David Baas
2010: David Baas
2011: Jonathan Goodwin