Jamal Davis II was once a promising young NFL prospect, rated as a back-up level player and special teams contributor. He would go on to put up impressive numbers in the NFL Combine:
40 yard dash: 4.6
Bench Press: 19 reps
Vertical Jump: 39 inches
Broad jump: 122 inches
3 Cone Drill: 7 seconds
He originally played linebacker but moved to defensive end at 6’4 246 lbs. He was said to need time to develop out of college but was expected to be a 6th or 7th round pick, and spend some time on a practice squad. This is exactly what happened bouncing around between 4 different teams on the practice squad. During a stint with the Miami Dolphins he appeared in 3 games but logged no stats.
Following his release from the Cleveland Browns, his hometown team, he jumped into the CFL. 2021 would end up being his only season in the Canadian league. During the season he played in 9 games collecting 17 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 td. Enough to again garner NFL attention.
Following interest from several NFL teams the Allouettes released him and allowed him to pursue his NFL opportunities. Davis ultimately decided on signing with the Chargers. Davis has added roughly 15 lbs to his frame since his original move to defensive end in college, but joining the Chargers will ask him to play more of a hybrid role. Occasionally he will be a third or fourth LB, other times a DE with his hand in the dirt. Staley uses his fronts to push teams to do what he wants on offense, and players like Davis who can line up with his hand in the dirt, then drop into coverage are crucial.
Davis leaving Montreal isn’t a huge surprise, but his performance in 2021 will definitely be missed on the defensive line. They have attempted to fill his shoes, but so far I am unsure if any players signed can truly have the impact that he did in his lone CFL season.
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