What the selection of Derius Davis means for the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers have added a second TCU wide receiver.
Derius Davis joined his teammate Quentin Johnston in Los Angeles on Saturday after being selected with the 125th overall selection. A deep threat as a receiver and dangerous returner, Davis compiled 1,513 receiving yards, 1,145 kick return yards, and 658 punt return yards over five seasons in Fort Worth.
Davis clocked in with just a 4.28 RAS, with poor grades in every area save for speed. At 4.36, Davis is now the fastest receiver on the Chargers by 3 hundredths of a second – Jalen Guyton ran a 4.39 at his pro day.
For the Chargers, Davis will enter as the favorite to return both kicks and punts, and should replace Deandre Carter’s role on the 2022 offense. It may be an even smaller role given the depth LA has generated in this draft. Regardless, if Guyton is slow to get back up to full speed following his ACL tear, Davis will likely be good for a few downfield shots a game to stretch the defense.
It’s an important facet of the Chargers’ offense that’s been very publicly missing since at least the offseason. A legit downfield speed threat like Davis opens up underneath space for Keenan Allen or Johnston and gives Mike Williams and Josh Palmer more room to operate in the intermediate areas of the field.
While Day 3 picks always have flaws to them, I would be a touch concerned about Davis’ size and lack of even average testing in anything but straight-line speed. That likely prohibits him from ever becoming anything more than a field stretcher and return specialist. But in the fourth round, there are much worse picks to be made.
Bottom line: the Chargers are 4-for-4 on instant impact players thanks to Davis’ return upside.
