‘He understands our culture.’ How Kentucky’s Jamin Davis fits in Washington.
The Washington Football Team selected Kentucky standout Jamin Davis with the 19th overall pick, their first in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Davis soared up draft boards following the end of the 2020 season, the only one he started for the Wildcats. When he declared for the draft in January, Davis was considered a middle-round prospect.
Washington head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio both played linebacker in the NFL. While some perceived Davis as a reach at 19th overall, that duo’s background with the position resulted in Davis’ selection being mostly well-received by WFT fans on social media.
Davis’ military upbringing (both parents are army veterans) also was cited by multiple analysts as a quality Rivera valued. Rivera told reporters late Thursday night that Davis was the top-rated defensive player on Washington’s board coming into the night.
“He understands our culture,” Rivera said. “He has a tremendous background. He’s a smart, intelligent young man. He can play all of our linebacker positions. He’s what you look for in a football player.”
Linebacker was a position of need for Washington, which last year struggled to cover passes to running backs and tight ends in the middle of the field. Davis’ ability to produce in that area of the defense — he recorded three interceptions last season, tying for the ninth most among all players in the Southeastern Conference, including one returned 85 yards for a touchdown (the eighth-longest in program history) — along with the athletic ability he demonstrated during UK’s pro day helped solidify him as a first-round pick despite limited time on the field.
Washington last season won the NFC East after finishing 7-9. It lost, 31-23, to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild-card round of this year’s playoffs.
Counting Davis, Washington has seven linebackers on its roster entering the second day of the 2021 draft. Its three primary starters at linebacker in 2020 — Cole Holcomb, Jonathan Bostic and Kevin Pierre-Louis — combined for 6.5 sacks and two interceptions last year. Bostic and Pierre-Louis are both 29; Holcomb was a fifth-round draft pick out of North Carolina in 2019.
The Football Team selected former Ohio State star Chase Young, a defensive end, with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft. Young as a rookie recorded 7.5 sacks and recovered three fumbles en route to a Pro Bowl selection from a defensive line that’s considered one of the league’s best. Its other starters last year — left tackle Daron Payne (2018), right tackle Jonathan Allen (2017) and right defensive end Montez Sweat (2019) — also were first-round picks out of the SEC. Allen and Payne played at Alabama while Sweat played for Mississippi State.
Davis joins a former Louisville player in Geron Christian, an offensive tackle whom the Football Team selected in the third round of the 2018 draft. He started Washington’s first six games last season before finishing the year on the injured-reserve list due to a knee injury.
This story was originally published April 29, 2021 at 11:56 PM.
