Four years ago, the San Francisco 49ers drafted Ball State quarterback Nate Davis. Although Davis had a cannon for an arm, he never could quite figure out the QB game at the NFL level. That didn't stop us from getting a little too excited about Davis. After his preseason performance against the Dallas Cowboys (10/15 for 132 yards), I came up with this gem of an article.
The video above came in his second season with the 49ers. There were concerns about work ethic as he reportedly did not sufficiently prepare in the offseason. He spent the 2010 season on the 49ers practice squad, and then moved on to the Seahawks and Colts.
Nonetheless, this play highlights why people got so excited. You cannot teach that kind of arm strength. Of course, when a player can't learn the playbook and develop beyond just a cannon arm, it doesn't really matter. Davis has been out of the league since 2011, recently playing with the Amarillo Venom in the Lone Star Football League.
It's always fun looking back on some of the "player crushes" that develop, particularly given how irrelevant a given player ends up being. Whether it be Davis or Kory Sheets or whomever, it makes for great fun!