Maryland Football: Sean Davis selected by Pittsburgh Steelers

Maryland hasn’t had a ton of draft success in recent years.

However, that changed on Friday evening when defensive back Sean Davis was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 58th overall pick. Ironically, Davis is the highest Terrapin draft pick since the Baltimore Ravens selected wide receiver Torrey Smith with the 58th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft.

Davis was the 10th defensive back selected in the 2016 NFL Draft and went just after former Clemson star cornerback Mackensie Alexander was picked by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 54.

The Steelers also selected cornerback Artie Burns from Miami (Fla.) with their first round pick, so it’s likely that they see Davis as a safety at the NFL level. Davis played both cornerback and safety during his time at Maryland.

Davis spent the tail end of his junior season and entire senior season as a starting cornerback for the Terps. As a junior, he was forced to start due to injuries.

Davis registered 319 tackles (221 solo), 14 defended passes, seven forced fumbles, and five interceptions. The star defensive back finished in the top three in the Big Ten in tackles the past two seasons, including leading the conference in the category during the 2014 season.

Davis is known for his tackling ability and is better suited to play the safety position in the NFL. The Steelers don’t have a ton of depth at the safety position, so Davis could definitely see the field as a rookie.

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It’ll be interesting to see if Davis is used as a cornerback at all once he arrives in Pittsburgh.