Prospects I'm interested in seeing at the Combines

[Tubbs1518]

You absolutely do not jump all the way up to the 2nd round for a 3rd-4th round prospect. Never reach based on the combine. Quick way to the division basement.

Exactly. We didn't reach up on Johnson or Dunlap. Both fell to lower rounds than they should have.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Really like Sio Moore too. Had him as a 3rd rounder, probably worked himself into a 2nd round guy after today.

 

[vancelot23]

Davis has been talked about by scouts before the combine about not even getting drafted due to his history.

I can almost guarantee you, he will not be available in the 4th, we would be damn lucky with our pick in the 3rd, and probably right about his draft position where teams will start looking at taking a chance on him in the lower 2nd round.

Absolutely no chance he goes in the 2nd round.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Absolutely no chance he goes in the 2nd round.

He will go after Lacy, Gio, Randle, Franklin for sure. Probably Ellington, Ball, Lattimore, Bell and Christine Michael too.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

He might. Lack of depth and quality RB's in this years draft, and with his combine numbers jumping off the page, I personally believe scouts will bypass some of his past track record to take a chance on a guy with an unteachable, rare skillset.

That is my opinion, you don't have to agree with it. I didn't say he would necessarily go in the second anyways. I said the lower part of the second is where teams will start thinking about Davis. These are good teams that made it to the playoffs and do not have a ton of holes that can afford to give Davis a year, year and half to get acclimated with the NFL and their system. His intangibles are too hard to ignore.

Game film is very damn important, I agree, which is why you look at T'eo and his core of work on the field outside 1 single game. He is a model of consistancy on the field, a true leader, a general out there. That combine 40 does not define him as a player.

I still think T'eo is the second best LB in college football behind Jarvis Jones and is worthy of a top 10 pick, even if he may not get drafted there.

 

[Tubbs1518]

He might. Lack of depth and quality RB's in this years draft, and with his combine numbers jumping off the page, I personally believe scouts will bypass some of his past track record to take a chance on a guy with an unteachable, rare skillset.

That is my opinion, you don't have to agree with it. I didn't say he would necessarily go in the second anyways. I said the lower part of the second is where teams will start thinking about Davis. These are good teams that made it to the playoffs and do not have a ton of holes that can afford to give Davis a year, year and half to get acclimated with the NFL and their system. His intangibles are too hard to ignore.

Game film is very damn important, I agree, which is why you look at T'eo and his core of work on the field outside 1 single game. He is a model of consistancy on the field, a true leader, a general out there. That combine 40 does not define him as a player.

I still think T'eo is the second best LB in college football behind Jarvis Jones and is worthy of a top 10 pick, even if he may not get drafted there.

Davis will probably be about the 10th RB picked.

 

[augustisback003]

You absolutely do not jump all the way up to the 2nd round for a 3rd-4th round prospect. Never reach based on the combine. Quick way to the division basement.

I think you can make the jump, because it's not really that big of a jump. Are you really telling me there's a huge difference between a guy who's ranked 64th, end of the 2nd round, and one who's ranked 80th, middle of the 3rd? Guys have always been drafted based on athleticism and potential and the Combines allow prospects to display those traits. Have there been players like Mike Mamula who make meteoric rises up the board? Absolutely! But there have also be elite prospects like Peter Warrick who produced in College but failed in the Pros. Its a crap shoot, but I'd rather have someone who's athletic then some stiff.

 

[Tubbs1518]

Except Knile Davis isn't the 80th ranked player on any boards. Where does ESPN have him? Because CBS Sports has him as the 399th ranked player and the 29th ranked RB. Now after the combine he will jump a lot, but not to the 2nd round. Christine Michael had as impressive a combine to me.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Except Knile Davis isn't the 80th ranked player on any boards. Where does ESPN have him? Because CBS Sports has him as the 399th ranked player and the 29th ranked RB. Now after the combine he will jump a lot, but not to the 2nd round. Christine Michael had as impressive a combine to me.

He was an elite prospect before the injuries set in.

He played in a powerhouse conference and succeeded before the injuries.

The player was not really in question until he started fumbling after the injuries. What has been in question and teh reason for his lack of ranking...was he able to regain any of his athletic prowess after recovering from injury? Those questions ahve been more than answered in the combine.

I understand what you are saying, don't let the combine completely dictate where you draft a guy, game tape is much more impressive. You can bring an athletic guy off the street that could light up the combine and never played one single play of college football. But when the guy was an elite prospect before injury, and shows in the workout part to be a stud physically, the biggest question mark on him and his decrease in numbers was just resolved.

Teams will think he is a risk in the 2nd, but that will not stop them from thinking about taking him due to his physical capabilities, especially a team like the Bengals who lack an all around RB and are looking desperately for one. A guy that can break the big one, and one that can power down in the trenches, he was also part of a passing program in Arkansas. It is not like he got a ton of catches, but he also was not able to stay healthy on the field either. He is the guy the Bengals need in my opinion. I would be excited to see us draft him, hopefully no higher than 2b though.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I'd rather have Franklin in the 3rd. I don't want to take that big of a risk that early. We have a lot of holes we need to fill if we want to get out of the 1st round. Too high for a risk.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

I'd rather have Franklin in the 3rd. I don't want to take that big of a risk that early. We have a lot of holes we need to fill if we want to get out of the 1st round. Too high for a risk.

I would normally agree with you, but when you have an area of need as glaring as the Bengals at a very athletic position, and you have a guy sitting there in 2b with that much physical talent, it is hard to overlook.

 

[Tubbs1518]

I would normally agree with you, but when you have an area of need as glaring as the Bengals at a very athletic position, and you have a guy sitting there in 2b with that much physical talent, it is hard to overlook.

Physical talent doesn't always win out. Can/will Davis block? Can he catch? Will he play/work hard? That has been questioned. Can he stay healthy? Can he cure the fumbles? Too many questions to go in the 2nd.

 

[vancelot23]

But all those guys are athletic. It's not like Davis ran a 4.4 while everybody else ran a 5.2.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Physical talent doesn't always win out. Can/will Davis block? Can he catch? Will he play/work hard? That has been questioned. Can he stay healthy? Can he cure the fumbles? Too many questions to go in the 2nd.

Can/will Davis block?
Blocking
: At this point, I would describe Davis as a willing blocker who understands the concept of “meeting defenders in the trees”. As a running back, you must attack your blocking assignment and meet your man in the hole. Davis understands this but will whiff on his assignment occasionally due to poor technique. Unfortunately he has the tendency to duck his head when taking on his man. This aspect of his game is coachable. Due to his size and willingness to block, Davis is greater than a chip/cut blocker.

Can he catch?
Receiving
: Davis is a natural hands catcher of the football out of the backfield, however he is not featured in the passing game as much as I’d like to see. In his best season, Davis had 136 yards and 1 touchdown on 19 receptions. Davis has an excellent feel for the swing game, seemingly always in sync with the quarterback.

Will he play/work hard?
Character: Notoriously known as a hard worker by his coaches and training staff, it is no wonder that Davis has been able to bounce back from such horrid injuries. He has been described as a leader and the heartbeat of his team. Between the lines, Davis has been a bit “chippy” at times and has hurt his team by drawing unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. To my knowledge, Davis is a solid citizen and locker room influence.

Can he stay healthy?
Injuries
: Unfortunately this is the area every NFL GM is going to have to do their homework on Davis. The question is do you really want to invest in a back that has broken his both his ankles a combined three times and his left collarbone twice in a span of three years?

Davis has routinely proven he can bounce back from these injuries, however these are major red flags, which could potentially detract from his stock. Having sustained multiple ankle injuries, and enduring a surgery which included having nine screws and a plate inserted into my ankle, needless to say I’m pulling for the kid. It is my hope he can remain healthy and have a great NFL career.

Can he cure the fumbles?
Carrying/handling vs. fumbling
: Though he doesn’t have true ball security issues Davis has had some indiscretions while carrying the football, including two fumbles in an overtime win against Mississippi State in 2010. While he typically carries the ball high and tight in traffic, he does become susceptible to having the ball stripped from him, as the ball tends to get away from his body on outside runs.

Overall analysis:
Overall: The way I see it, Davis is a dynamic back with tremendous upside. While he is more of a slashing running back and won’t make many miss in the open field, his straight-line speed, size and vision between the tackles more than compensates for his lack of “wiggle”. Being that he tends hesitate on the perimeter, Davis would fit best in a one cut and go zone-blocking scheme such as the Texans, Redskins or Packers. If not for his injuries, Davis would easily be a 1st round draft pick next April. Davis is one of my favorite running back prospects in college football off or pure talent alone. With that said, due to his injury plagued career, I fully expect him to slide to the middle of round 2 or the tail end of round 3 at the latest.

Link to scouting on Kniles Davis, where I got this info.

 

[cincygrad]

Let me get this straight..... There are people on this board that WANT to take a kid that has three ankle injuries in two seasons? Why?

The worst statement you can ever see in front of a draft prospect is "If not for his injuries....." It's just not worth the risk at a position like running back.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

Let me get this straight..... There are people on this board that WANT to take a kid that has three ankle injuries in two seasons? Why?

The worst statement you can ever see in front of a draft prospect is "If not for his injuries....." It's just not worth the risk at a position like running back.

Yes.

 

[kramer1]

You're all a bunch of fucking idiots.

Carry on.

 

[augustisback003]

But all those guys are athletic. It's not like Davis ran a 4.4 while everybody else ran a 5.2.

Actually Andre Ellington ran a 4.71 at 191 lbs. And he was a player that has a 2nd round grade. If Davis hadn't been injured in 2011 and would have came out last year he probably would have went in the 1st Round last year. I'm in the camp that believes 2010 is a more accurate reflection of his talent than 2012.

 

[augustisback003]

You know a guy who's showing out ala Mike Mamula is Cornelius Washington from Georgia. He is balling out! Now he's a guy you need to go back and look at his tape to see what the hell is going on.

 

[vancelot23]

Actually Andre Ellington ran a 4.71 at 191 lbs. And he was a player that has a 2nd round grade. If Davis hadn't been injured in 2011 and would have came out last year he probably would have went in the 1st Round last year. I'm in the camp that believes 2010 is a more accurate reflection of his talent than 2012.

Ellington pulled up with an injured hammy, affecting his time.