Ashtyn Davis may be a rookie, but any learning curve facing the Jets safety appears to be minimal based on the reviews he’s gotten from his coaches.

Davis has impressed with his play in his first NFL training camp, but what has really turned heads thus far is his eagerness to learn. Between each play, Davis is usually seen holding court with New York’s defensive backs coach, Dennard Wilson, according to The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

“This young man is a sponge,” Wilson told reporters Saturday. “He soaks up everything.

“I love coaching this young man,” Wilson added.

Without offseason activities, rookie minicamp, a regular training camp and preseason games, rookies like Davis should be at a disadvantage. However, that doesn’t appear to be the case for the Jets’ third-round pick out of Cal, who has taken every opportunity to make his presence felt during Gang Green’s limited training camp.

When the Jets originally drafted Davis, it was a curious pick at the time. The Jets had been publically stating their intentions to keep Jamal Adams, but Marcus Maye was entering a contract year. Safety wasn’t an immediate need, but the thought was that the Jets were looking at Davis as Maye’s potential successor. 

That changed rather quickly when Adams forced his way out of the organization. Now, Davis will be thrown into the fire of Gang Green’s versatile safety rotation, which includes himself, Maye and Bradley McDougald.

Nothing has ever been handed to Davis. The Cal product was originally a walk-on, eventually earning a scholarship and paving out a path to the NFL. He continues to carry that same chip on his shoulder that got him drafted, doing everything he can to learn on the fly by leaning on coaches like Wilson.

“That’s become part of my identity,” Davis told reporters last week. “I work the same way that I did when I was a walk-on. I keep that same mentality and hopefully, it’ll take me places.”