Why Kwesi Adofo-Mensah chose ILB Jamin Davis as his next reclamation project and how it can work
Injuries are a part of the game in football, and you have to find ways to navigate them. That has been the story of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, and it's continued throughout the season. On Tuesday afternoon, the Vikings placed inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on injured reserve with the hamstring injury that he suffered […]
Injuries are a part of the game in football, and you have to find ways to navigate them. That has been the story of the 2024 Minnesota Vikings, and it's continued throughout the season.
On Tuesday afternoon, the Vikings placed inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. on injured reserve with the hamstring injury that he suffered against the Chicago Bears.
In turn, the Vikings made two roster moves: they activated outside linebacker Gabe Murphy from the practice squad and also signed edge rusher/inside linebacker Jamin Davis.
We know a good amount about Murphy but what does Davis have to offer? Let's dive into it.
Get to know Jamin Davis
The Washington Commanders took Davis at 19th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft as an inside linebacker out of Kentucky. He was extremely appealing as a raw prospect due to his rare size and athleticism profile.
It's an incredible athleticism profile for Davis, who also has 33" arms, meaning the length in space is good as well. Unfortunately, it didn't work out in Washington. He was drafted by Ron Rivera's regime and he struggled to play consistently at linebacker.
When Dan Quinn came in as the head coach, they decided to give him a try at edge rusher. Ultimately, he played less than 100 snaps for Quinn before being released. Our managing editor and Commanders writer Evan Winter explained why Davis was moved to the edge and ultimately released.
Quinn and co. moved Davis to the edge of the defensive line and it took him awhile to get accustomed to his new role. He did record a sack in the preseason, but clearly didn't show enough to warrant a viable role when the snaps matter in the regular season. How the Packers utilize him will be key moving forward. Either way, Davis "disappointed" at both positions, so I wouldn't expect much from this move, in an overall sense. The Packers' acquisition of Jamin Davis should be looked at as an experiment, more than anything.
Jamin Davis on the field is a mixed-bag
Davis's performance on the field is all over the place. However, his grades in 2023 from Pro Football Focus look relatively solid.
- Overall: 67.6
- Run defense: 76.1
- Tackling: 77.6
- Pass rush: 71.6
- Coverage: 56.5
When you watch him in coverage, that makes complete sense. He flashes the ability to thrive when dropping in zone, but it's not consistent.
He does a great job gaining depth and his movement skills are really nice. That's why Davis ended up going into the first round of the NFL Draft.
Speaking of movement skills, I believe the reason why the Vikings ended up signing Davis was because the movement skills at his size are truly rare. In this play, Davis blitzed from depth and his explosiveness was evident.
This is what Pace would do for the Vikings. He is used as a blitzer from all over the place, including from depth where Davis is blitzing from here. That ability is something that Brian Flores will really like.
The other aspect of Davis' game that Flores will like is the toughness. This play where Tyler Smith pulls and tries to block Davis in space exemplifies this. Not only does Davis hold up at the point of attack which forces the running back to slow down just a smidge, he sheds the block and has a chance to make the tackle.
While the good is evident, there is a reason why Davis is available as a street free agent in his fourth year. His biggest issue for me is being inconsistent with his eyes. He has a tendency to hit the wrong hole and be a little too aggressive. He does this in coverage at times too and it's a major problem.
Davis plays too much out of control and that is a big reason why he wasn't on an NFL roster right now. Pair that with some of the off-field issues mentioned by The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala and it all comes together.
Davis played better in spurts later that season and into the next but never consistently. His 2023 season was cut short because of a shoulder injury, and his troubles off the field didn’t help; Davis was charged with reckless driving twice in the span of three months. The first charge was reduced to an infraction, and he accepted a plea deal for the second, avoiding jail time.
The question remains: will this work for the Vikings? This is right up the alley of Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. Davis is a player with a ton of athletic upside that has a high pedigree of being a first-round pick. This is exactly what Adofo-Mensah likes to prioritize with those players.
The Vikings love to try and take these players and seeing what they can do with them. Now, they don't have a great track record in converting those into long-term starters, but they have seen success this season with Jerry Tillery.
Davis plays similarly to Pace and that ability is something that Flores can work with. Will it end up making an impact for the Vikings? Probably not, but it's worth giving it a shot and see if something can work.
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