The Dolphins' mission to get bigger, stronger, more athletic and more versatile continued in the second round with the selection of Alabama defensive lineman Raekwon Davis.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sees an impressive ball of clay in Davis.
"Rugged and powerful with elite physical traits, Davis has the ability to impose his will on opponents and dominate at the point of attack," Zierlein said. "He plays long and strong with rare leverage for a taller player and holds positioning against double teams for linebackers to flow freely. He should be a first-round pick who can come in and start right away for an odd or even front defense."
Davis is 6-foot-7 and weighs 310 pounds. He arrived in Alabama as a versatile shop-wrecker that can play any position across the defensive line, from the nose tackle all the way to end.
It's not just the position versatility that Davis brings, it's his scheme flexibility that makes him incredibly attractive to a defense that prides itself on multiplicity. He lined up all over the formation for the Crimson Tide defense. According to Pro Football Focus, Davis played 391 snaps as a B gap defender, 122 over the nose, 63 outside the tackle and 59 in the A gap.
To finish off the scheme-fit checklist, Davis said he feels his leadership developed during his time in college.
"That's the whole reason I came back [for my senior season]," Davis said. "To teach the younger guys and help the team as much as I can to the best of my ability."
Davis' former head coach, Nick Saban, doesn't discount the importance of that veteran leadership to his program.
"I actually do think that it contributes to a large degree to the success and failure of the team as to what kind of leadership you have," Saban said.
Davis took that statement as a challenge personal challenge during his final year in Tuscaloosa.
"I'm just preparing the young guys," Davis said. "My job is to prepare the young guys to get ready. That's what Coach Saban expects me to do."
Earning consistently high grades from Pro Football Focus College, Davis was a regular contributor. He earned 84.9, 81.9 and 83.2 grades across three years at Alabama. He played a total of 1,849 snaps during those three seasons with 10 career sacks.
Sacks don't tell the whole story for a pass rusher, and Davis was perpetually in the backfield and in the face of the quarterback. He registered 66 hurries over three years and made 75 run stops (tackles within two yards of the line of scrimmage). He's a pocket collapser and run-game penetrator, using his length and power to reset the point of attack. His PFF run grade was 87.9 last year after an elite mark of 90.4 in the 2018 season.
Davis is uber explosive. His 111-inch broad jump during his on-field workout at this year's NFL Scouting Combine demonstrates the type of power he can generate from those tree-trunk legs.
"He has reps on tape that leave your mouth wide open," writes PFF's lead draft analyst Mike Renner. "He sinks his hips and churns his feet surprisingly well on bull-rush for a taller defensive lineman. There is so much power behind his hands, he takes down running backs one-handed with ease. Davis is not content to sit on blocks. He locks out and looks to shed [the block]."
