Givanni Damico | November 26th, 2019

Ashtyn Davis, SAF, California #27

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 201 LBs

Class: Senior

Games I’ve watched: at Washington (2019), at Ole Miss (2019), at TCU (2018), vs. UNC (2018)

Davis is a former track-star whose athletic abilities have transferred very well to the football field. As a redshirt-senior, Davis has already accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl to further attempt to boost his stock. I love how an analyst over at TDN (The Draft Network) put it. He said that labeling Davis as a “track athlete” is incorrect. He should be labeled as “a football player, who happens to also be good in track and field.”

I grade on a 100-point scale being distributed 10 ways with 10 different criteria. For safeties, this criteria includes: Frame, Speed/Burst, Strength, Tackling, Agility/Fluidity, Instincts, Coverage, Run Support, Football IQ, Ball Skills

Make sure to check out all of our other scouting reports here.

Frame 7/10 Davis has a pretty prototypical frame for a safety, although I’d like to see him put on 10-15 pounds of muscle so he is more powerful, especially in his upper body. Speed/Burst 9.5/10 As a former track star, Davis’s speed is well-noted. He has great burst from where he is lining up to the line of scrimmage. If he’s in coverage, he stays stride for stride with his man nearly every time, rarely allowing opposing wide receivers to get a step on him. Strength 8/10 Davis doesn’t have much muscle in his upper half (or so it seems), but he definitely plays stronger than he is. He is incredibly physical and aggressive, going for the big hit and cutting down ballcarriers. This can be a good thing, but it can also lead to reckless plays. Tackling 7.5/10 I need to see Davis learn to wrap up and make the easy play more often than trying to cut down the ballcarrier. While this works for him more times than not, he is still vulnerable to miss tackles which could lead to big plays in the open field. Sometimes the smart play is more effective than going for the big hit to knock the ball loose. Agility/Fluidity 8.5/10 Davis is very nimble and his hips are fluid when he turns up the field. He does well at locating the ball and making plays because of his straight-line speed and fluid hips and footwork. Instincts 7/10 Davis has decent enough instincts, but he struggles in recognizing the run. He gets fooled by the run-pass option and finds himself making little impact on the play. Coverage 8/10 Albeit a little inconsistent, Davis has shown fantastic range in coverage. When he gets tested, he does a good job of breaking up the pass. Run Support 6.5/10 Davis struggles in run support when he is met with any opposition from blockers. He has trouble detaching from blocks and making impacts on the play. He also struggles with recognizing the run play. Football IQ 8.5/10 Davis is a very intelligent player with a high football IQ. He moves around sub-packages well and adjusts himself to get a better line of sight on the play. Ball Skills 9/10 As I saw when watching the UNC game in 2018, Davis flashes excellent ball skills. He is able to adjust his body to make plays and he gets his hand in between him and the receiver to break up passes. Overall 79.5/100 Ashtyn Davis is a very fast, very athletic safety. He needs to focus on adding more upper-body strength and he needs to improve on his tackling technique. His ball skills are fantastic and he’s one of the smartest players on the field at all times. He will excel as a special teamer in the NFL as well as a deep safety. Although I am unsure if he will be an “every-down” sort of player in the NFL, he will make an impact wherever he goes either way.

Round Grade: Early Third Projected Draft Position: Mid-Late Third Pro Comparison: Budda Baker

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Main Credit Image: Embed from Getty Images