Dave Birkett | Detroit Free Press

Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press

There were lots of reasons why the Detroit Lions fell in love with Jarrad Davis when they took him with the 21st pick of April’s NFL draft.

He was a productive college player at Florida, a no-nonsense linebacker who was a team leader and captain. He filled a need on a defense that was looking to get younger and faster. And he was consumed by football and the desire to be great.

But the one trait that stood out most, the thing anyone that watched him on film could see, was the way Davis tried not just to tackle ball carriers but to inflict bodily harm on them – legally – on just about every play he made.

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Fourteen games into his rookie season, one that has admittedly had its share of ups and downs, Davis is once again playing like a human missile preset to seek and destroy.

Carlos Osorio, AP

He made six tackles in Saturday’s 20-10 win over the Chicago Bears, when the Lions held one of the league’s best rushing attacks to 43 yards, and on nearly every one he delivered a thud that could be felt around Ford Field.

“To be honest with you, man, it’s a dangerous game and I don’t want to make it safe,” Davis told the Free Press in the locker room postgame. “I don’t want to make it safe. I know it may be against what the league is doing, but at the same time, I know one speed. And I’m not going to slow down for nobody. And if that guy don’t want to play no more, he don’t want to play no more. And that’s no matter who it is. And that’s the goal. You want to strike fear in people.”

With two games left in the regular season, and after missing two games because of injury, Davis is second on the team with 79 tackles.

He had some early-season struggles in pass coverage, and lost playing time in dime and some nickel packages last month as the Lions scaled back his responsibilities on the field.

But he has also set an undeniable tone on a defense that has lacked an identity since Ndamukong Suh left three seasons ago.

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Photos: Lions 20, Bears 10

Case in point: Told by a reporter that Hall-of-Fame linebacker Dick Butkus once said his dream was to hit a man so hard his head popped off and rolled in the snow, Davis chuckled and replied, “I’m telling you that would be – it’d be frightening to a lot of people, but it’d be pretty cool to see that happen."

“If you go out there and play pitty-pat, patty-cake with guys, they’re going to keep coming at you,” Davis said. “But if you shut them down, you let them know, this is what’s up when you see me, or when you see Quandre (Diggs) or whoever. When you let them know, then they ain’t coming the same way that they came before.”

In a game of strong men and stronger wills, Davis said he's not sure if he has accomplished his mission and struck fear in any of his opponents yet.

“I don’t know if I’m putting it in them like that, but I’m trying to give it to them like that,” he said. “And I know that’s part of my game. That’s one thing I’m going to be able to hang my hat on when I’m done, I’m going to keep on working on it every offseason and make sure I come back and let guys know, put guys on notice.”

As much as he takes pride in his hitting – "I definitely do," he said – Davis said he has had to learn this year to regulate his speed of play.

Some of his mistakes have happened because he was going too fast, too soon and overrunning tackles.

"I’ve been in front of plays and I’ve left the back door open a couple times, whether it be a run or pass," Davis said.

Lately, Davis has been able to better gauge his speed, and on Saturday he played one of his best games of the year. He said he'll never stop going "100,000 m.p.h.," and given what his menacing presence can do for the defense, the Lions don't want him to, either.

"He's been playing pretty well for the great majority of the year for a young guy in this league,” Lions coach Caldwell said. “It’s not an easy league to play in and particularly play in as a rookie. We got a lot of rookies out there playing for us when you look around. ... To be able to come in and handle themselves in some really adverse situations I think is good, and I think JD’s been, I think he’s been pretty solid all year long. Actually, he might have had one or two games here or there like most people, but he’s been solid.”

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.