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Kalia Davis, DT
School: University of Central Florida | Conference: American Athletic Conference
College Experience: Redshirt Senior | Age: ?
Height / Weight: 6’2 310 lbs
Projected Draft Status: 4th-6th round
Player Comparison: Eric Manning
College Statistics
Player Overview
Kalia Davis is a defensive tackle prospect from the University of Central Florida. He came out of West Florida Tech high school with first-team all-state honors as a senior linebacker. At UCF, he redshirted his freshman season as he gained weight to play as a reserve defensive lineman the following season. His playing career has periods of production and gaps due to COVID opt-out in 2020 and torn ACL in the second half of the 2021 season. Davis is a three-technique defensive tackle prospect with flashes of upside of becoming a disruptive player.
Strengths
- Flashes short area quickness and strength.
- Athletic and plays with bend.
- Can get into gaps to cause backfield disruption.
- Explodes into blockers to cause pocket push.
- Displays quick feet
Weaknesses
- Played little football the last two seasons. The 2021 season was cut short due to an ACL injury.
- Erratic balance through contact.
- Needs better go-to moves.
- Needs better hand placement.
- Can get displaced by down blocks.
Videos
Kalia Davis (6’2” 310) of @UCF_Football knocks his block back & controls his gap while moving laterally down the LOS. Ends up making the tackle.@KaliaDavis20 is one of 324 prospects invited to the 2022 NFL Combine!
— DLineVids (@dlinevids1) February 17, 2022
Video Credit: @JimNagy_SB #StopTheRun #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/m8QODIFG4b
Talk about speed to power transfer; @UCF_Football's Kalia Davis is an absolute menace on the interior, with an explosive first step and ability to rock blockers and find their edges. Effective against the run and pass, he might just crack day 2: #NFLDraftpic.twitter.com/KgG7qjsvdQ
— Simon Carroll (@NFLDraftSi) March 29, 2022
How Will He Fit On The Team
The departure of Tim Settle and the release of Matt Ioannidis has created a hole in the interior defensive line. Kalia Davis can step in to fill the backup depth while developing into a starter. In limited playing snaps, Davis can be an interior disruptor on either pass or run plays. With coaching, Davis will fortify the defensive line depth for the Commanders as he tries to reach his potential.