Top 10 linebackers in the 2021 NFL Draft:

#5 NFL Draft Prospect: Jamin Davis (Kentucky)

6’ 4”, 230 pounds; RS JR

Jamin Davis

Barely a top-1000 recruit back in 2017, Jamin Davis got an interception in each of his first two years with the Wildcats, seeing action in every game as a backup and once as a starter.

Last season, he made first-string and outside of one game missed due to COVID-19, Davis was an impact player for UK in every contest. He recorded just over 100 tackles, four of them for loss, 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, including one taken back to the house, a fumble forced and recovered apiece.

Davis primarily was used as the Wildcats’ SAM linebacker, either on the edge of the box or over the number three receiver in trips. He has a way of avoiding blocks in space because of his very innate feel and suddenness to avoid getting hung up with contact. He can do that by slipping underneath or working across the face, combined with swiping down the blocker, showing lateral agility that is just off the charts.

Not only is he slippery, but he is also just fast through the hole, especially when something opens up to shoot through, which makes him a dangerous run-blitzer. On the backside of zone schemes, he stays patient for cutbacks but also has the athleticism as a scraper to work over the top of traffic.

And you see the flat-out burners to chase down running backs and even receivers from the backside 30-40 yards downfield. Davis plays under excellent control and is quicker than pretty much anybody else in tight spaces, thanks to his natural feel and understanding of the subtleties of the linebacker position.

Since you rarely see anybody squaring him up when he is flexed out wide with them, Davis can set the edge against any outside runs without giving the ball-carrier a runway to build up momentum.

As swift as Davis is with bodies around him, he is also a natural mover in space. He stays low and is very smooth in his pedal while keeping his eyes on the quarterbacks throughout plays in zone coverage. What I appreciate about him in that facet is his understanding of down and distance, not just racing up against underneath shallow crossers on third-and-long, but getting proper depth and then coming upfield, where he is an outstanding open-field tackler against backs catching check-downs or when the quarterbacks decide to take off.

In 150 career attempts, he has had only 11 total missed tackles, with an even lower rate last season in particular (7.3%). Moreover, he has the speed to shut down any quick leaks or swings into flats when lined up in the box.

NFL teams would feel comfortable about putting him in man-coverage flexed out because of the way he carries slot receivers and tight-ends down the seams. Moreover, he is an absolute nightmare to put his hands on in the screen game.

Nevertheless, Davis, at times, is too conservative when teams run right at him, as his first step is to go backward. With his lanky frame, he won’t necessarily set the tone when he is met head-on with linemen climbing up to him or making straight tackles against big backs.

Davis also doesn’t necessarily chase his opponents off all the time, as he tends to slow down or jog when he sees his teammates have the ball-carrier corralled pretty well.

While his skillset would indicate that he could be a very effective blitzer in the NFL, he has minimal experience and tape doing so. And we don’t know the exact coaching points he has been given. But at times, I’d like him to find the closest target in coverage and transition to man late because you see catches being made around him as receivers curl up when nobody else is around.

Davis has only 837 career snaps on defense. As per PFF, he spent just 26 snaps in man-coverage last season. However, while you would think his length might give him some trouble changing directions, there is nothing on tape that would suggest that’s the case.

Jamin Davis can literally play big nickel on first down and then slide inside to MIKE to take away backs or the quarterback one-on-one on third downs. With his innate feel for eluding blocks and the ground he can cover, he can be a really fun watch.