CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
ASHTYN DAVIS
HEIGHT/WEIGHT/AGE
6-foot-1
200 pounds
23 years old
BIG PICTURE
Ashtyn Davis went to Cal as a track star and a football walk-on. Now he exits college with a chance to go on Day 2 of the draft. Intercepted six passes over the last two years in a full-time role with the Bears. Analytic indicate he was at his best during his junior season. Dealt with injuries late in his senior campaign and did not run at the combine, which likely would’ve bolstered his stock. Also could not participate in the Senior Bowl due to his injury.
COMBINE NOTABLES
14 bench reps (4th worst)
VIKINGS COMPATIBILITY RANKING
2 out of 5. There’s not much precedent for the Vikings taking safeties in the draft under Zimmer and Spielman, so it’s tough to say what they’re looking for. It wouldn’t be surprising if they waited until Day 3, where Davis will not be available.
HIGHLIGHTS
WHAT DRAFT EXPERTS SAY
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com: “Late-comer to the game who has rare physical gifts that can’t be taught but can be capitalized on. His instincts are just average right now, but he appears to have decent recognition skills. He just needs to trust what he sees. Learning to play under control in coverage and as a tackler will be the difference between being considered a good football player instead of an explosive athlete. The elite traits should get him drafted inside the first two days, but there are some boom/bust elements to his game right now. He should become a future starter at safety, but his size, length and speed could create interest in him as a potential cornerback conversion.”
Kyle Crabbs, Draft Network: “Ashtyn Davis projects best into a role as a Cover-2 free safety at the pro level. Davis has strong tackling skills on the back end and some effective reps dropping down into the box to play man to man in the slot, but he’s generally lacking in run support in the box to be asked upon to play such a role with consistency in the pros. Too many bad angles and too many reps getting stuck to blocks negate his versatility. Putting him in primarily Cover 2 will allow his deep range to be more effective.”
WHAT PFF SAYS
88.6 overall grade as junior (11th)
Top 10 free safety grade since 2018
68.9 run defense grade (above average)
CHECK OUT THE REST OF THE ZONE COVERAGE DRAFT GUIDE:
TOP 100 PLAYER PROFILES
RANKING THE VIKINGS NEEDS
EXPLORING VIKINGS DRAFT TRENDS
A HISTORY OF RICK SPIELMAN’S DRAFT TRADES
VIKINGS TARGETS
LUKE INMAN’S MOCK DRAFTS
SENIOR BOWL CENTRAL
FEATURES FROM OUR STAFF
