Fred Davis TE USC 6'4 248

Davis came to USC as a 5 star rated WR, that had to sneak out of Ohio to avoid the local pressure of playing for the Buckeyes. With a loaded receiving corps, Davis moved to TE during his freshmen year, and the move is paying off. As a sophomore, he caught 13 passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns backing up Dominique Byrd. The starting job was his as a junior, he came through with 38 catches for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Davis had a huge senior season, winning the Mackey Award as the nations top TE. He hauled in 55 catches for 794 yards and seven touchdowns on the year.

Fred Davis is one of the best all around tight ends in this draft. Coming in as a receiver, you know he has the talent to be a playmaker catching the football. He has the athleticism, speed, and quickness to get open, make defenders miss, and get down the field vertically. What most didn’t expect was his blocking ability. As a sophomore, he was frequently used on the field with Byrd because of his ability to block.

It is tough to find a knock in Davis as far as tight ends go. He is a complete tight end, but he hasn’t proven to be dominant in any facet. He has the speed to be a playmaker on the field, but he may not run a blazing 40 to be a premium draft pick. As a blocker, he doesn’t drive people off the ball and lay them on their backs.

Davis had a tremendous senior season. He emerged as the go to target for John David Booty as the season progressed. He is a playmaker as a receiver and good enough as a blocker to have an impact on every down. He should hear his name called in the first two rounds of the draft in April.