When Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin decide to focus on retooling an area on the Depth Chart, they do it all the way. Between 2010 and 2012 the Pittsburgh Steelers made 4 first or second round picks on offensive line, rebuilding a beleaguered unit.
And so it is with the secondary in 2015 and 2016.
The Steelers drafted Miami’s Artie Burns in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, and they stuck with secondary in the second round, drafting the University of Maryland’s Sean Davis. This comes after drafting Senquez Golson in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Steel City Insider’s Jim Wexell described Davis this way:
Davis was the proverbial tackling machine at Maryland. In his three seasons as a starter he made 306 tackles (including an astounding 213 solos). Last year as a cornerback Davis forced five fumbles to go along with his three interceptions.
When it comes to hard measurables too, as Wexell informs:
However, it’s Davis who stands as the supreme athlete at the position with the following numbers: 4.46 40, 2.60 20, 1.56 10, 21 reps, 37.5 vertical, 10-6 broad jump, 3.97 short shuttle and 6.64 three-cone.
Davis, by his own admission, as a safety who likes to hit, who says he patterns himself after Sean Taylor. The Steelers of course have a tradition of hard hitting safeties, form Donnie Shell, to Thomas Everett, to Darren Perry, Myron Bell, Lee Flowers, and of course Ryan Clark.
Video Highlights of Sean Davis
Thanks to the magic of YouTube, Steelers Nation can take a look at what made Sean Davis stand out for the Maryland Terrapins:
Sean Davis played for four years at the University of Maryland, appearing in 38 games. In that time he racked up over 319 tackles, made 2.5 sacks, hauled down 5 interceptions and forced 7 fumbles.
- Those latter two numbers are a welcome sight for a secondary that is only now coming out of a four year turnover drought.
Pittsburgh Steelers secondary coach Carnell Lake explains his vision for Sean Davis:
When you have offenses that spread you out … to create mismatches they will put a player like (Rob) Gronkowski out wide and force you to match up with either a linebacker or a safety on Gronkowski. Well, you have to have a guy that has the size and can cover. He provides that coverage for us. That’s one of the exciting parts of Sean Davis that we like.
Sean Davis also has experience at cornerback, and Lake says he would not hesitate to use him at cornerback should the need arise. Sean Davis is from the Washington DC area and grew up a Redskins fan, although he says his father wanted him to play for the Steelers. For the record, Davis also speaks French and Chinese.
Welcome to Steelers Nation Sean Davis.
