Ashtyn Davis, S, California
Listed at 6-foot-1, 201 pounds Davis was a three-year starter at California, He saw snaps at both safety positions near the line of scrimmage and as single-high player. He possess good size and athleticism and a good temperament for the position. He is aggressive in nature but that can work against him sometimes because he will over run plays when coming downhill.
Davis shows the ability to track the ball in the air with adequate range. Davis could be an option at No. 51 for the Cowboys if they choose not to take a safety in the first round but would be a excellent value pick in Round 3. Davis’ versatility would work well with starting safety Xavier Woods.
He finished his senior year with 55 tackles, two interceptions, four passes defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
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What the experts say:
Late-comer to the game who has rare physical gifts that can’t be taught but can be capitalized on. His instincts are just average right now, but he appears to have decent recognition skills. He just needs to trust what he sees. Learning to play under control in coverage and as a tackler will be the difference between being considered a good football player instead of an explosive athlete. The elite traits should get him drafted inside the first two days, but there are some boom/bust elements to his game right now. He should become a future starter at safety, but his size, length and speed could create interest in him as a potential cornerback conversion.
Ashtyn Davis projects best into a role as a Cover-2 free safety at the pro level. Davis has strong tackling skills on the back end and some effective reps dropping down into the box to play man to man in the slot, but he’s generally lacking in run support in the box to be asked upon to play such a role with consistency in the pros. Too many bad angles and too many reps getting stuck to blocks negate his versatility. Putting him in primarily Cover 2 will allow his deep range to be more effective.
In pass defense, Davis need more work for the NFL. He has the speed and athleticism to cover, and those are the two traits that have some projecting him to the early rounds. Davis, however, does not make a ton of plays in coverage and doesn’t seem to have the instincts to be the rangy centerfielder that he needs to be given his body type and lack of strength. Davis is a liability as a run defender for the pro game. He missed a ton of tackles for California and seems to avoid contact at times. Davis can cover ground, but in the NFL, he is going to struggle taking on physical backs downfield and it would not be surprising to see Davis get run over regularly.
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