Washington Football Team lands playmaking LB Jamin Davis at No. 19

The Washington Football Team has been very busy in the offseason acquiring talent on both sides of the ball in preparation for the draft. However, the team still has a few glaring needs that they’ll look to address in the draft.

Looking at the SB Nation writers’ mock draft board as it sits currently and thinking through the mindset of a defensive-minded head coach in Ron Rivera, Hogs Haven decided to pick up a very athletic and explosive linebacker who could be a key defensive playmaker going forward for the Football Team’s defense.

With the No. 19 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Hogs Haven selects …

From Scott Jennings at Hogs Haven:

Washington Football Team Head Coach Ron Rivera knows good linebacker play, and he was not seeing that for most of his first season here. He was pretty blunt in his criticism of one of the weak points of an otherwise stout defense. Kevin Pierre-Louis left in free agency, but the team did try to retain him. This left a hole at linebacker that was not filled in free agency (sorry David Mayo).

This mock draft fell the way a lot of people fear it will for Washington. The top quarterbacks, offensive tackles, wide receivers, cornerbacks, and linebackers are all off the board. Micah Parsons is the consensus top linebacker in this year’s draft, and unless those rumors grow more legs before draft day he’s gone long before No. 19.

This pick comes down to three linebackers who could all help Washington solidify their defense. Jamin Davis has been one the fastest-rising defensive players in this draft. He has the size and speed to take over the middle of the defense. With Jack Del Rio running the defense, he will quickly be molded into a key piece behind one of the best defensive lines in the NFL.

Jamin Davis is quite a promising linebacker prospect with all the tools needed to be a top playmaker in the league. With great size at 6’3 and 234 pounds, Davis has amazing speed, athleticism and agility. Davis is a good run defender with the ability to run sideline to sideline and loves to set tones with his hitting ability. Even though he looks to make the big hit, Davis also shows the ability to play under control, square his shoulders and get into proper position to make the sure tackle.

Not only is Davis a physical player, which is what Coach Rivera loves in his players, he shows good intelligence and instincts for the position. Another one of Davis’ most intriguing traits is his ability in pass coverage. In the current NFL, you need a linebacker who can not only play the run well, but has the tools to be effective in coverage. With an understanding of spacing, good closing speed, great length and good ball skills, Davis can be a solid player in both zone and man coverage.

Although Davis is a player who has the tools to be versatile at the linebacker position, his skillset is better suited right now at the WILL, and he could possibly start at that spot right away for Washington.

The main concern with Davis is that he lacks sufficient experience as he only started 11 games for the Wildcats, but with a very good defensive front and experience around him, there’s no doubt that he would be put in the position to succeed on Washington Football Team defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio’s defense.

He will need to work more on his instincts, understanding of zone concepts, and ability to stack and shed blockers at the next level, but Davis has a very high ceiling and can give Coach Rivera and DC Del Rio the three-down playmaker they covet at the linebacker position for the present and future.