Thomas Davis Sr. Gives Washington Football Team an A+ Draft Grade

Thomas Davis Sr. gives Washington Football an Adraft grade originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington

For the second straight season, there will a linebacker suiting up in the nation’s capital with the name ‘Davis’ on the back of his jersey. By selecting Jamin Davis out of Kentucky with the 19th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Washington Football Team shored up their already stellar defense and filled a hole at a position created by Thomas Davis Sr., who retired this past offseason.

Davis Sr., had a 15-year career as a pro, his lone season in Washington where he appeared in seven games. In a recent interview with the NFL Network, the three-time Pro Bowler said Washington’s draft desrves an A+ grade.

“I was very excited about Washington’s draft. I have to give them an A+, because when you look at what they were able to do in the first round alone—I felt like Jamin Davis was a kid that was gonna go a lot higher in the draft, but he fell right into Washington’s lap at no. 19,” Davis Sr. said.

Both Thomas and Jamin Davis have very similar paths to the NFL: they spent three years at an SEC school turning heads at linebacker, before being drafted in the teens to a team that needed depth and athleticism at the position. Washington fans can only hope that Jamin’s career in D.C. parallels Thomas Sr.’s in Carolina, where he spent 14 years as the centerpiece of the defense.

Davis Sr. has an optimistic pro comparison for the younger Davis as well. “He’s a kid that reminds me a lot of Darius Leonard and what he’s able to do with his size and his speed,” Davis Sr. said, joining a slew of other analysts making the connection between the former Kentucky LB and the first-team All-Pro linebacker in Indianapolis.

But the defense wasn’t the only area of the field to which Washington wanted to add depth in the draft. WFT selected North Carolina receiver Dyami Brown in the third round with the 82nd overall pick. One of the top deep-ball threats in the draft class, Brown will be another target on the outside in D.C. Thomas Davis Sr. loves that pick as well.

“You factor in Dyami Brown out of UNC, he was a kid that they drafted in the later rounds, but he’s a kid that stretches the field, right?” Davis Sr. said. “He absolutely dominated the NCAA when it comes to deep threat receiving, so I definitely think that he’s gonna help that team create some other stuff for Terry McLaurin and some of the other guys on that offense.”

After signing Curtis Samuel, a former teammate of Davis Sr.’s, this past offseason, Washington finally plugged the hole they had at wide receiver. While Terry McLaurin is arguably one of the best receivers in the NFC, WFT had little depth behind him. Brown’s arrival in addition to other offseason acquisitions changes that.

Anchored by one of the league's best defensive lines, Washington added more weapons to both sides of the ball as they purse a second consecutive NFC East division title. Where does that leave their defense heading into 2021?

Davis Sr. has an answer. “It would surprise me if they’re not the no. 1 defense in the entire league.”

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