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Head Coach Ron Rivera and General Manager Martin Mayhew spoke to the media after the first round of the 2021 NFL ended. The Washington Football Team selected Kentucky LB Jamin Davis with the 19th overall pick. Davis was their top-rated player left on the board, and he is happy to have him. He offers flexibility, and can play all the LB roles. Rivera said Davis has plenty of room for improvement, and he will get the coaching here to reach his potential.
Washington wasn’t going to trade up for a QB, and let the draft come to them. Martin Mayhew plans to build this team through the draft. Rivera said “We just felt looking at where we are now, with what we’re doing, to be patient. We felt strongly about it. This isn’t just a piece. We have a chance to put pieces together.”
Jamin Davis:
Ron Rivera mentioned some interesting things. Most importantly being the fit Davis presents. The coaches are very excited because they already have a plan set in place to deploy Davis. He also provides value with the ability to play all three starting LB roles.
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
Rivera on Davis: pic.twitter.com/QtBN5pygLw
Ron Rivera on why Jamin Davis was the right fit for Washington: "Precisely that. Fit. ... He plays the game at the right tempo."
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) April 30, 2021
He says he fits the culture and can play all three linebacker positions. "He's what you look for in a football player," he said.
GM Martin Mayhew & HC Ron Rivera talking about @WashingtonNFL
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) April 30, 2021
1st-round LB Jamin Davis:
Rivera said he was top-drafted defensive player on their draft board.
Mayhew: "Grade matched up with the need. ...He checks a whole bunch of boxes for us. ...Great football character guy."
.@RiverboatRonHC on Jamin Davis:
— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) April 30, 2021
"He sticks out on tape"
Rivera says he likes that Davis is/was a 'military brat' - Born in Hawaii.
"His football acumen was outstanding.'
Scouting Davis:
Martin Mayhew said when Jamin Davis' name first came up during draft meetings, he hadn't done much work on him but the scouts were really pressing for him. Once he started to dig in, Davis popped on film.
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) April 30, 2021
Draft boards:
Rivera pushed back against the idea that Jamin Davis rose recently up draft boards. Said not a fast riser just cause some in the media don't know who he is.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) April 30, 2021
Flexibility:
When taking “project” type players, there’s always a risk. Yes the upside is jaw dropping, but the player has to actually develop properly. Not a guaranteed task.
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
However Davis landed in the perfect spot. 3 former NFL LBs on the coaching staff and a dominant defense around him. pic.twitter.com/3kecuCzCi1
"He can play all of our LB positions. He's what you look for in a football player."
— Washington Football Team (@WashingtonNFL) April 30, 2021
Head Coach Ron Rivera discusses the addition of @jamindavis25! pic.twitter.com/cbmNbsh98q
Rivera on @jamindavis25: "This guy had the most position flex of any of them, and that's important to me because I believe a guy that can play all your LB positions can learn quickly, will understand quickly and will help others around him."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 30, 2021
Ron Rivera says the team has a good feeling about where it wants LB Jamin Davis to start off, but it will also explore his position flexibility, which was one of the biggest reasons he was their top defensive prospect on the board.
— Kyle Stackpole (@kylefstackpole) April 30, 2021
Run defense:
Ron speaks on Davis’ ability to diagnose run fits: pic.twitter.com/M2CFlJsJ2z
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
Not trading up for a QB:
Ron Rivera on not moving up to take a QB: "We just felt looking at where we are now, with what we're doing, to be patient. We felt strongly about it. This isn't just a piece. We have a chance to put PIECES together."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 30, 2021
Ron Rivera said Washington didn't trade up for a quarterback because the team felt it was more important to be patient and build a team for a quarterback first.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) April 30, 2021
"We felt strongly about [being patient]. This isn't just [about] a piece. We have a chance to put pieces together."
GM Martin Mayhew: "We didn't think seriously about making any move" into the low teens for a QB.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) April 30, 2021
Washington GM Martin Mayhew: "Really, up until our pick it went pretty much the way we thought it would go. We got a few calls, but we didn't think seriously about making any move. We felt very comfortable there."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 30, 2021
Build through the draft:
Mayhew: "We want to build this team through the draft." #WashingtonFootball
— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) April 30, 2021
Top-rated defender on the board:
Ron Rivera said Jamin Davis was the top-rated defender on their board.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) April 30, 2021
Improvement:
The first thing you notice with Davis is the jaw dropping physical tools. He has the size and arm length to fight through traffic and vacuum up tackles, and the athletic ability and fluidity to man-up against dangerous receiving threats
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
Raw, but still developing. pic.twitter.com/5zhP4c3HxC
Rivera said Davis hasn't even come close to his ceiling. With some development, he believes that linebacker could become even better.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) April 30, 2021
Rivera said Davis has a good knack for slipping blocks and striking. There are some things he still needs to work on, but he progressed throughout the season, which Rivera liked and anticipates that will happen in Year 1 with Washington.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) April 30, 2021
Natural football player:
Ron Rivera highlighted Jamin Davis' growth at Kentucky: "Watch how he takes his angle on his drop ... That's a very natural football play right there." https://t.co/lryFLyBedV
— Matthew Paras (@Matthew_Paras) April 30, 2021
Pick 6:
Ron Rivera also thought very highly of this play pic.twitter.com/qKzDiTLBLd
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
Rivera just mentioned this Jamin Davis pick-6 stood out. Starts at the 20-second mark. pic.twitter.com/iTrW1T7fRA
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) April 30, 2021
Day 2 QBs:
GM Martin Mayhew said there's some "very talented" QBs left on the draft board. He said the team won't reach, that they'll follow the board, but he likes some of the prospects, presumably Davis Mills, Kellen Mond and Kyle Trask.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) April 30, 2021
Stack LB:
Rivera then goes on to say that Davis was their highest rated defensive player. They valued him very highly.
— Matt Valdovinos (@MVScouting) April 30, 2021
Sounds like what pushed him over was his ability to play a more traditional linebacker role. Washington wants to “stack” their linebackers behind the DL, Davis fits that. pic.twitter.com/MWr7FEPSGa
Rivera says Jamin Davis plays as a 'stack linebacker' which is what they need.
— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) April 30, 2021
Martin Mayhew says all the talk about OL did not come from them.
Draft rumors:
Martin Mayhew: "There's a lotta talk before the draft about a lotta things."
— Pete Hailey (@PeteHaileyNBCS) April 30, 2021
Yup
Tempo-setter:
Rivera said Davis plays fast, from start to finish. When the offense gets to the LOS, he's ready to go. Rivera called Davis a "tempo-setter" and that's is exactly what he is looking for.
— Zach Selby (@ZachDSelby) April 30, 2021
Football IQ:
Rivera said he liked that when talking to Davis, "the conversation wasn't about him, him, him... that struck me positive. His football acumen was outstanding." Says Davis really understands fits; that was an issue for a lot of last season. About leverage/understanding of D etc
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 30, 2021