With Their 3rd 2nd Round Pick, the Bucs Select Auburn CB Carlton Davis

After a trade with the Patriots that garnered another 4th round pick, and with their third second-round pick, number 63 overall, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected CB Carlton Davis from Auburn. The Bucs doubled up at cornerback in the 2018 NFL draft and this time it appears Tampa Bay has found their outside corner. Davis is 6’1″ 203 lbs.

College Career

Carlton Davis was a three-year starter at Auburn. He had 136 tackles, 28 pass defensed, 4 interceptions and 3 forced fumbles.

What They’re Saying

Luke Easterling of draftwire.com describes him, “A physical corner with ideal height and length, Davis’ skill set and playing style is exactly what opposing pass-catchers hate lining up against. He puts his physical tools to good use in press-man coverage, and he isn’t afraid to mix it up in the box.”

Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds says, “If a team can’t get their hands on Oliver earlier in the draft, Davis would likely be their next target. Early in 2017, Davis showed he had lockdown abilities in the team’s early game versus Clemson. Though he wasn’t as strong as he was early on for the rest of the season, Davis still showed flashes of a man coverage cornerback who can deal with size and speed. Any team that plays press could use a cornerback of his caliber. He led his team with 11 passes broken up in 2017 and also had one interception..”

Pro Football Focus opines, “Carlton Davis has been a fixture in the Auburn secondary for three straight seasons, locking down one side of the field or another during his tenure for the Tigers. Over his career at Auburn, Davis was targeted a whopping 190 times but allowed only 103 receptions and 472 yards after the catch. He eclipsed the 20-PBU mark this past season, totaling 24 career plays on the ball (four interceptions, 20 pass breakups).

During the 2017 season, Davis allowed over 30 yards after the catch in just two games while limiting receivers to a catch percentage of 50.0 percent or under in 8-of-13 contests. By allowing just 26 receptions on 54 targets last season, he set a new personal best in catch rate allowed into his coverage at 48.1 percent.”

NFL.com says, “NFL Comp: Richard Sherman. Davis’ combination of height, weight, length and ball skills make him a nuisance that college wide receivers could do without on Saturdays. Davis has some struggles mirroring routes in space and is best as a full-time press corner who is able to use his length and strength to take wideouts out of their game. Davis plays with confidence and some edge and was able to show and prove against NFL-caliber talent over the last three years. In the right scheme, he could become a high-impact starter..”

Highlights

Stats

DLT’s Thoughts

If the Bucs would have selected Carlton Davis with their 53rd overall selection, I would have had no issues with that. He’s that good and he’s got the size the Bucs need to be able to compete with the huge wide receivers in the NFC South. He’s been compared to Richard Sherman and if he has even half of the career Sherman has had, he’s a heck of a pick at the end of the second round for Tampa Bay.