“He’s Battled His Butt Off”
June 15th, 2018
Second-round pick Carlton Davis
Great true-insider take here on rookie cornerback Carlton Davis.
It’s the authentic kind, from a teammate who wasn’t even asked about Davis. The man delivering the message was Lavonte David.
He was asked a question this week about the Bucs defense having good days followed by the offense bouncing back to best them. David chattered about competition and during that rant picked out one name on defense.
“The competitiveness is picking up. You know, you see rookie Carlton Davis going against Mike Evans. He’s battled his butt off,” David said. “He may not be talking right now but we taking to him. We tell him, ‘Hey, don’t let him do that.’ Stuff like that. That just brings out guys’ competitive nature and you’re seeing it across the board.”
Dirk Koetter said yesterday that Davis leveled off from his fast start in spring practices. But that doesn’t take away from how he impressed those around him.
So far, through underwear football, it looks like the rookie corners belong.
(Below is a WFLA-TV video with excerpts from David.)
June 15th, 2018 at 12:13 pm
He will be starting corner by week 2, he has that fire like kwon and unlike vh3 and93
June 15th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
305
June 15th, 2018 at 12:47 pm
If the secondary can at least be average (just not horrible), then we are set at every single position group on the field. By that logic, we SHOULD be able to get to the postseason. Now that’s a big IF, but IF that happens we might be playing meaningful football in January.
June 15th, 2018 at 12:52 pm
I think it’s possible for at least one rookie to start in secondary because the pass rush should be better.
June 15th, 2018 at 1:35 pm
Take M.J. before him is puzzling
Should have taken Guice instead of Stewart
June 15th, 2018 at 1:48 pm
What about Stewart?
June 15th, 2018 at 2:38 pm
pryda
maybe 2…..watch out for whitehead…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
June 15th, 2018 at 2:57 pm
If Davis and Whitehead can have an impact in their first year, that will be awesome!
June 15th, 2018 at 3:44 pm
DB55
hear bout your boy david irving…..whatever we would’ve gave up to get him would’ve been down the drain…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
June 15th, 2018 at 4:06 pm
@813
Kind of ironic since DB55 just said the other day he’s never been wrong and that was like his main pound the table off-season move to make. We’re all wrong all the time lol.
NFL is not an easy science.
GO BUCS!
June 15th, 2018 at 4:22 pm
That’s what you’re paid to do. I’m sure Ryan Smith did the same thing in camp last year. Hell you cansay the same thing last year when he was destroyed by Julio Jones. I’ll wait until preseason to see how the corners play because with the exception of grimes they all need to be out there as much as possible
June 15th, 2018 at 4:49 pm
MoJo – everyone on the blog only talks about Davis and Whitehead because that is all the Joe’s have talked about. The guy that was picked 20 spots before Davis is probably going to be the better player. I mean clearly the Bucs brass had him graded as the better player. He is kind of like the Bucs team overall. They are flying under the radar and so is he. If all three of these 2nd round players pan it watch out. Stewart is getting zero pub, but he is probably a baller.
June 15th, 2018 at 5:03 pm
You find out a lot more about cornerbacks in OTAs than just about any other position, including receivers and safeties.
June 15th, 2018 at 5:05 pm
LC
exactly….ive eaten my fair share of crow….lol….I remember DB55 pounding the table and wanting to give up a 2nd round pick….lol….that would’ve for sure put licht out the door….lol…
maybe licht is smarter than we think but WTFDIK…..
#NOEXCUSESIN2018!!!!….#PRESSURESONTHECOACHES!!!!….GO BUCS!!!!
June 15th, 2018 at 5:49 pm
^^^^^^^^^^^^^
June 15th, 2018 at 10:43 pm
Please, please, please, somebody explain to me why the Bucs picked MJ Stewart so much earlier than Carlton Davis. I’ve missed anyone asking Jason Licht this question directly. I think it’s because everybody that has the access to asking him assumes that he knows more about football and scouting prospects than they do. Remember though, Jason Licht called Roberto Aguayo “the best placekicker I’ve ever scouted”. Seems like this question is the elephant in the room to me. On Draft Day Carlton was labeled a “cover” outside corner with length, and Stewart was called maybe a slot corner, or even prime for a move to safety. The buzz so far in the OTAs has been about Davis. Come on all you Buc experts, explain this. Come on Joe’s, ask him the question.
June 15th, 2018 at 10:46 pm
Having spoken with Licht many, many, many times about players pre-draft that eventually were drafted before the Bucs were on the clock and how those players turned out, Joe can assure you Licht knows more about football and scouting prospects than Joe likely ever will.
June 15th, 2018 at 10:54 pm
Of course he does. More than any of us. Doesn’t mean we can’t ask him what he saw in MJ Stewart that made him choose him so much earlier than Carlton Davis, who is the one that is turning heads so far. And still not a word out of camp about Stewart. I’m not trying to second guess (although the lack of information regarding this invites it), I’d just like to hear the thought process.
June 15th, 2018 at 11:09 pm
Dude, it really isnt that fking complicated. MJ graded higher on their board. Simple as that. They are playing underwear football right now. Once bullets start flying and maybe or season or two later we will see how it turns out.
June 15th, 2018 at 11:11 pm
It doesn’t necessarily work out every time, but I can guaradamntee you that they had MJ graded much higher. Obviously they knew Davis was still on the board and they went with MJ anyway. I really hope he shocks all of the naysayers.
June 15th, 2018 at 11:49 pm
Your response is obvious to me also. Of course they did. And no, picks don’t always work out the way you think they will. See Booker Reese, and Brett Moritz, and Regan Upshaw and Dan Sileo and “Toast” Jones and Danny Peebles and Charles McRae and Eric Curry. Dude, Ive been watching this process since 1976. I’d still like to see/hear an answer form Jason to the question.
June 15th, 2018 at 11:57 pm
MJ steward is a bigger hitter, Carlron Davis is the better cover guy
MJ steward was drafted to play the slot,
Carlton Davis should start week one, opposite Grimes
Stewart will start, if and when they give up on VH3.
I wrote on the draft day thread- that I thought Davis was the top CB in the draft for the Bucs.
Think Davis will be at CB for the Next 10 years.
And I still think Ryan Smith will replace Grimes,,when he decides to give it up.
And I think this is Grimes last year.
Davis, Smith, and Stewart could grow into a really good secondary!
And has talent at safety.
Now lets see if Whitehead or Igwebuike can challenge
June 16th, 2018 at 2:29 am
Dayone,
Go watch the interview with Jason L post draft. He’s asked about the pick and answered the question.
Bottom line, what the phuc difference does it make both got drafted by the team.
I may understand if you or anyone else was talking about one or both guys prior to the draft. Not a single mention of either, yet now there’s a huge unresolved mystery that must be answered. If there is an answer to WTF does it matter I demand you tell. …..jacoff
June 16th, 2018 at 8:09 am
These people that fret over where a player is drafted make me laugh.
It doesn’t matter, for example, where Robert Aguayo was picked. Second or sixth round, he still would have been a bust. And if he had paid off? Licht would have looked like a genius.
These are the very same people who claimed drafting Aguayo in the second round would cost Licht his job. Wrong. He is still here.
The important thing is to get the players you want. If you do not think they will be there for your next pick, you take them. Period.
It doesn’t matter if fans think you took him ten pick earlier than he should have gone. You take the guys you feel will help the team the most going forward.
June 16th, 2018 at 8:36 am
LOL Duke. Guys are acting like Carlton Davis is the equivalent of Deon Sanders and how in the world did we let him slip by and went after MJ Stewart. Licht and the scouts knew a hell of a lot more about these guys then posters.
June 16th, 2018 at 9:50 am
MJ Stewart was higher on their board. It’s obviously about rotation and depth. Good rotation, especially in this heat, is a very good thing on game day. I’m not Jason Licht or an NFL scout but I think maybe they were already planning to have VH3 playing slot, then if an outside CB got hurt they could bump VH3 outside and put Stewart in the slot. They could’ve been more trustworthy of Ryan Smith until after they picked up Stewart and before they picked up Davis. Like I said I’m not a scout but you people should think about things in certain situations, not just say “why’d you get this guy first?”
June 16th, 2018 at 11:06 am
Stewart is a play maker and a hard hitter but he is slower than Davis and Ryan Smith, so he is not a candidate to excel at regular CB. However, he is fine in the slot but VHIII is better there. So basically we spent a second pick on a slot CB who does not have the speed to excel at special teams either. Instead of Stewart it would have been a lot smarter to get Oliver who has good height, length, and speed like Davis, and he could be a backup for Davis this year and able to compete for Grimes position next year. There are a lot of large WRs in our Division and most smaller DBs don’t have the skills that Grimes does to cover tall WRs. Besides now the Saints got Oliver who can give them an edge on our tall receivers. Maybe Licht’s idea was to get Stewart to replace VHIII next year so he can pay all the high salaries to keep our best players next year.
June 16th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Owlykat,
Oliver actually went to the Falcons at pick #58, not the Saints. Agree that this is the pick in the 2nd round that will be most scrutinized. I will always wonder if the thought was at this point in the draft, the idea was they needed to grab the best nickel due to the best corners already being taken. Patriots agreed with that thinking and traded up with us after the selection to get who they thought was the best nickel Duke Dawson, from UF; one has to wonder if there was pressure not to take another Gator CB due to the struggles of VHIII. Maybe the thought was we would still have a shot at Oliver with our last pick in the second, but the Dixie Chicks beat us to it even though they needed DL’s more. Happy we could still get Davis from Auburn though and pick up the extra 3rd round pick for Cappa, so maybe it was for the best on the whole. We shall see???
June 16th, 2018 at 3:51 pm
Also for those worried about Bucs not taking Derwin James at Safety, think we may have gotten a real Jason Licht free agent steal-special in Godwin Igwebuike!
NFL Combines/College stats
Ht Wt. 40 Vertical / **NCAA Tot Tackles **INT
Igwebuike: 5-11.5 213 4.44 35.5″ 273 4
James: 6-1.5 215 4.47 40″ 188 3
** Took out Igwebuike’s Freshman year since Derwin played only 3-years; Igwebuike had 51 Total tackles and 3 more interceptions in his Freshman year!