As for this guy (Geremy Davis):
I'll leave that one to Sy'56. He'll never be the most agile receiver. But if he's getting open against good CBs - even in two-hand touch - that's progress.
Sy's analysis of Davis post draft from the BBI Archives
ROUND 6 (#186 Overall)
Geremy Davis – WR/UCONN
#26 WR/#175 overall
Slightly puzzled by the selection but again, I refuse to be critical of a 6th round pick. NYG sees something in this kid and they think he will be able to make an impact. There is a trend here with the selection of Davis that we’ve seen this front office use in the past. He came in to 2014 with pretty high expectations after a record setting junior year. Statistically he went backwards and the pre-draft workouts didn’t go as well as anticipated. Davis was expected to be a 4th/5th rounder if we discussed him at this time last year. NYG thinks they are getting a big time value here.
Davis is big and physical. He has a ton of length with big hands. He is limited as a route runner but a guy with this kind of size and catching ability can be used for sure. He is aggressive in a crowd and tough over the middle. Even with that said, I think this pick was primarily about special teams with the long term hope that he can develop a better WR skill set. He has an aggressive nature to him and will work his way up the special teams depth chart.
Why don’t we discuss his WR ability more? There just isn’t much there from an NFL perspective. NYG admitted he is a guy that doesn’t separate from defensive backs and that was my most glaring, consistent weakness that I had on him. It’s tough to get excited about a guy like this because Manning likes to have those quicker-than-fast receivers that can create room. Davis lacks the fluidity and assurance that gets a young player on the field.
I don’t think he will factor in to this offense unless the injuries pile up and when you look at special teams, we aren’t talking about a special guy there. I think there were several options that could have helped in that area more so than what we will see in Davis
But does it really have any bearing on what Davis will do going forward? Davis may never amount to anything, or he could turn out to be another Miles Austin.
Austin, a UDFA, 6-2, 216, did nothing as a WR in his first three years (although he was a very good special-teamer), and then he exploded in his fourth year, and stayed hot for a few more years until injuries to his hamstrings took their toll.
The point is that some players do get better with time. Not all, but some. More often than not, it depends on their "want to." (hat tip, JonC) I look at guys like Davis and Bobby Hart (and, yes, John Jerry, too) who seem intent on improving their craft through hard work and determination, and I'm buoyed by that. I'd rather focus on that...focus on the future...instead of looking back and seeing what was said about them a year ago.
The kid was an early 2nd round pick who could have easily gone in the 1st, so it would have been much more of a surprise if he wasn't lighting it up in the spring. I'll wager that if you check every other team's OTA reports, you'll find a ton of praise for their young WRs, too. Just look at what's being said in Tennessee about one of my favorite WRs in this past draft - Tajae Sharpe.
Now, with Davis, it could be that they're trying to motivate him, but it doesn't appear that a lack of motivation was his problem. It could be that through his own hard work he really has elevated his game. He drew a fair amount of praise at this time last year, too, if I remember correctly, but that didn't translate to anything close to success during the season. Time will tell if the Giants are just blowing smoke with Davis, or if they really have something good on their hands.
As for this guy
I'll leave that one to Sy'56. He'll never be the most agile receiver. But if he's getting open against good CBs - even in two-hand touch - that's progress.
Physically and hands-wise he is almost an exact replica of Randle. Not bad for a 6th round pick.
Hopefully with more brains AND effort.
ROUND 6 (#186 Overall)
Geremy Davis – WR/UCONN
#26 WR/#175 overall
Slightly puzzled by the selection but again, I refuse to be critical of a 6th round pick. NYG sees something in this kid and they think he will be able to make an impact. There is a trend here with the selection of Davis that we’ve seen this front office use in the past. He came in to 2014 with pretty high expectations after a record setting junior year. Statistically he went backwards and the pre-draft workouts didn’t go as well as anticipated. Davis was expected to be a 4th/5th rounder if we discussed him at this time last year. NYG thinks they are getting a big time value here.
Davis is big and physical. He has a ton of length with big hands. He is limited as a route runner but a guy with this kind of size and catching ability can be used for sure. He is aggressive in a crowd and tough over the middle. Even with that said, I think this pick was primarily about special teams with the long term hope that he can develop a better WR skill set. He has an aggressive nature to him and will work his way up the special teams depth chart.
Why don’t we discuss his WR ability more? There just isn’t much there from an NFL perspective. NYG admitted he is a guy that doesn’t separate from defensive backs and that was my most glaring, consistent weakness that I had on him. It’s tough to get excited about a guy like this because Manning likes to have those quicker-than-fast receivers that can create room. Davis lacks the fluidity and assurance that gets a young player on the field.
I don’t think he will factor in to this offense unless the injuries pile up and when you look at special teams, we aren’t talking about a special guy there. I think there were several options that could have helped in that area more so than what we will see in Davis
Add to that Eli will throw 120 passes to TE's and 120 passes to RB's and there is not much he is going to see
Austin, a UDFA, 6-2, 216, did nothing as a WR in his first three years (although he was a very good special-teamer), and then he exploded in his fourth year, and stayed hot for a few more years until injuries to his hamstrings took their toll.
The point is that some players do get better with time. Not all, but some. More often than not, it depends on their "want to." (hat tip, JonC) I look at guys like Davis and Bobby Hart (and, yes, John Jerry, too) who seem intent on improving their craft through hard work and determination, and I'm buoyed by that. I'd rather focus on that...focus on the future...instead of looking back and seeing what was said about them a year ago.
I think that could be said for the chairs in the meeting rooms over Randle
It is Myles White's 4th year in the NFL.
Fair enough, Lou.
Honestly, though, I find Giants.com "pushing" Davis a little weird.
Quote:
Just ruminating about who the 5th & 6th WRs might be this coming year, and Davis's selection as a "breakout" player on Giants.com.
Fair enough, Lou.
Honestly, though, I find Giants.com "pushing" Davis a little weird.
EXACTLY! Among the WRs Shepard was clearly the unknown standout by a light year and White and Lewis were as much "surprises" as Davis.
Prolly reading into it far more than it's worth, but I wonder if they are trying to motivate Davis, to push him to practice with more intensity?
Maybe Davis was just up...
Quote:
So at least he has that over Randle.
I think that could be said for the chairs in the meeting rooms over Randle
To be fair, he claims that the Giants misattributed his 'laid back' demeanor.
How many of us judged a Eli early on for his 'dear-in-tye headlight' look?
Now, with Davis, it could be that they're trying to motivate him, but it doesn't appear that a lack of motivation was his problem. It could be that through his own hard work he really has elevated his game. He drew a fair amount of praise at this time last year, too, if I remember correctly, but that didn't translate to anything close to success during the season. Time will tell if the Giants are just blowing smoke with Davis, or if they really have something good on their hands.