VONTAE DAVIS
ILLINOIS
#1
PROJECTION: First Round COMPARISON: -
CLASS JUNIOR
HEIGHT 6-0
WEIGHT 205 lbs.
HOMETOWN Washington D.C.
HIGH SCHOOL Dunbar
BIRTHDAY 5/27/1988
|
YEAR |
TACKLES |
TFL |
SACKS |
INTS |
P DEF |
|
2008 |
78 |
7.0 |
0.0 |
2 |
8 |
|
2007 |
76 |
4.0 |
0.0 |
4 |
8 |
|
2006 |
52 |
2.5 |
0.0 |
1 |
6 |
SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS: Top athleticism...Very physical & tough...Nice speed & quickness...Good ballskills & tackler
WEAKNESSES: Suspect instincts & anticipation...Streaky coverage technique...Rough backpedal...Character?
OVERALL: A three year starter, Vontae Davis is the younger brother of San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis, who was the sixth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. He wasn’t an elite prospect out of high school, but started immediately for the Illini as a true freshman. Davis earned First Team All-Big 10 honors as a sophomore and junior the past two seasons with six combined interceptions. He has shown very good durability with 35 starts over his career in Champaign. Davis is a very good athlete with excellent physical tools and the quickness to start at cornerback in the NFL. He has average height, but is built very well for a cornerback and has a stout core. Davis is an above average tackler and shows excellent toughness at the LOS and in coverage. His instincts and anticipation are inconsistent and he seems to be guessing too much. Davis is best with the play in front of him and doesn’t look fluid in his backpedal. He has some minor character concerns as he was benched this past season by Head Coach Ron Zook. Davis later explained it was to “let me know I had to stay humble” and that is a red flag that he is reading too many of his press clippings instead of working to get better. He shows excellent explosion off the snap and closes quickly on the play. Davis works well in coverage, but will get caught out of position and will struggle to recover at the next level. His ballskills are above average and he always seems to make a play on the ball.
BOTTOM LINE: Davis has all the physical tools and toughness for a starting NFL corner, but he needs to refine his technique and instincts as he seems to guess too much and that won’t work in the NFL.
|
DATE |
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
TACKLES |
TFL |
SACKS |
INTS |
FF |
PASS DEF |
|
8/30 |
MISSOURI |
L 52-42 |
5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
9/6 |
EASTERN ILLINOIS |
W 47-21 |
5 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
9/13 |
LA-LAFAYETTE |
W 20-17 |
13 |
1.5 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
9/27 |
@ PENN STATE |
L 38-24 |
7 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
10/4 |
@ MICHIGAN |
W 45-20 |
9 |
2.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
|
10/11 |
MINNESOTA |
L 27-20 |
7 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
|
10/18 |
INDIANA |
W 55-13 |
7 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
|
10/25 |
@ WISCONSIN |
L 27-17 |
3 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
11/1 |
IOWA |
W 27-24 |
2 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
11/8 |
@ W MICHIGAN |
L 23-17 |
6 |
0.5 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
11/15 |
OHIO STATE |
L 30-20 |
5 |
1.0 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
|
11/22 |
@ NORTHWESTERN |
L 27-10 |
9 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
NO BOWL GAME |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5-7 (3-5) |
|
78 |
7.0 |
0.0 |
2 |
3 |
8 |
2008 STATISTICS