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Maryland Football: Sean Davis should be the first Terp drafted

By Chris Bengel

Nov 28, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive back Sean Davis (21) tackles Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Janarion Grant (1) during the second half at High Points Solutions Stadium. Maryland defeated Rutgers 46-41. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2015; Piscataway, NJ, USA; Maryland Terrapins defensive back Sean Davis (21) tackles Rutgers Scarlet Knights wide receiver Janarion Grant (1) during the second half at High Points Solutions Stadium. Maryland defeated Rutgers 46-41. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports /
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There aren’t likely to be any Maryland football players selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

However, defensive back Sean Davis should be the first Terrapin selected in this weekend’s annual player draft.

In 2015, Maryland saw wide receiver Stefon Diggs and defensive tackle Darius Kilgo picked in the late rounds of the draft. Diggs was picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the fifth round (No. 146 overall) and Kilgo was selected by the Denver Broncos in the sixth round (No. 203 overall).

If it wasn’t for injury concerns during his Maryland career, Diggs may have been selected in the first three rounds.

Maryland hasn’t had a ton of luck in the early rounds as of late. The last player selected before the fifth round was wideout Torrey Smith going to the Baltimore Ravens in the second round in 2011.

After four drafts of less-than-stellar results in terms of round selected, that’ll change this weekend when Davis will likely be picked in the second or third round, depending on how everything unfolds.

Davis had a very impressive showing at the Scouting Combine. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash, turned in 21 reps at the bench press, and had a 126-inch broad jump.

His showing combined with a strong Pro Day have been responsible for Davis’ rise up draft boards around the league.

Over the course of his Maryland career, Davis recorded 319 tackles (221 solo), 14 defended passes, seven forced fumbles, and five interceptions. He finished in the top two on the team in tackles during his final three years in College Park.

One of the biggest selling points for Davis is his versatility.

Davis played nearly his first three years at safety before moving to cornerback late in 2014. His size allows him to be very physical and he is a phenomenal tackler.

The star defensive back struggled in man coverage at times, so the safety spot is likely where he’ll have the most success at the NFL level. He would definitely be a solid backup at corner, but it just wouldn’t bring his biggest strengths to the forefront.

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Davis certainly needs to be developed a bit, but the talent is definitely there and will be an extreme value in the second or third round. As long as he isn’t expected to start right away, this is a guy that a boatload of NFL teams should be targeting on Friday evening.

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