Clemson NFL draft bio: James Davis

By Robert Rousseau  |   Wednesday, February 04, 2009  |  Comments( 2 )

Clemson Tigers
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James Davis had an outstanding first three years with the Clemson Tigers. Unfortunately for him, this past season left something to be desired, as it did for almost everyone associated with the Tigers' football team. The question is: How will a down 2008 affect Davis' NFL draft stock?

First, the stats:

Before Clemson: Back in 2005, Davis was a four-star running back from Douglas High School in Atlanta, Ga. At Douglas, he put up 1,692 yards rushing and 14 touchdowns as a junior and 2,389 yards and 28 TDs as a senior. Those stats plus some good strength and speed numbers had Rivals considering him the fourth-best running back in the '05 class and No. 4 overall prospect in Georgia.

While at Clemson:

2005: As a freshman, Davis made his mark with 879 yards rushing and nine touchdowns; he also added 19 catches for 152 yards and eight more scores. His 17 touchdowns led to the single-season freshman record at Clemson.

2006: Davis rushed for 1,187 yards and 17 touchdowns, and he caught six passes for 115 yards on the season. As a result, he netted first-team All-ACC honors.

2007: Davis rushed for 1,064 yards and 10 touchdowns on the year, also racking up 12 receptions for 51 yards and a couple of scores. Once again, he was first-team all-conference.

2008: Unfortunately, the team’s demise early on hurt Davis -- who was simply used ineffectively and only managed 874 total yards (751 rushing, 123 receiving) and 11 TDs. Additionally, he separated his shoulder during spring practices before the season and had to undergo arthroscopic surgery to repair the injury.

The measurables: Davis stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 207 pounds. He runs the 40-yard dash in 4.48 seconds.

NFL draft prediction: Davis’ first three seasons were very productive in a Clemson uniform. Moreover, he is a hardnosed and durable runner with good vision. That will help him, obviously.

However, Davis demonstrated difficulty blocking at the Senior Bowl. With the way NFL teams view most running backs these days -- unless they're elite, they’re not as valued a commodity as they once were -- that may hurt Davis. Guess is, in fact, that poor blocking plus a difficult 2008 will drop Davis to the fourth or fifth round; that is, unless he has a very strong showing before April.

Nevertheless, Davis was productive in college. He will help an NFL team once he gets to one.
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About Robert Rousseau

Robert Rousseau is a sports writer that has been published in a variety of print and online venues. He’s been writing for RealFootball365.com for almost three years now. When Rousseau isn’t writing about college football he tends to be penning mixed martial arts pieces for MMAFighting.com or ...
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