Cal Football: Post-NFL Draft Analysis Suggests Ex-Bears Have Hurdles to Clear

My thumbnail evaluations of Cal’s three players chosen over the weekend in the NFL draft:

— Safety Ashtyn Davis, in the third round to the New York Jets: No. 68 is a nice draft position for the former All-American hurdler and one-time walk-on, but his December adductor surgery and the reduced opportunity to work out for teams due to the coronavirus pandemic limited how NFL teams were able to evaluate him

— Safety Jaylinn Hawkins, in the fourth round to the Atlanta Falcons: This was a surprise. Frankly, a pretty big pretty surprise. Hawkins was expected to be, at best, a late-round pick. More likely a coveted free-agent signee. Good for him.

— Linebacker Evan Weaver, in the sixth round to the Arizona Cardinals: Everyone knew Weaver, a consensus first-team All-American, would be picked late because the NFL puts a premium on metrics such as 40-yard speed, vertical leap, etc. Weaver merely makes tackles by the truckload. Which is also the way he hits ball carriers.

Just as the lead-up to the NFL draft features non-stop mocks and projections, the days afterward require immediate dissection of every player taken.

We have assembled the reaction of those who cover the teams that picked Davis, Hawkins and Weaver, along with thoughts from ESPN:

S ASHTYN DAVIS (New York Jets)

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News gave the Jets’ general manager Joe Douglas a C-minus grade for its selection of Davis at No. 68 in the third round, primarily because he believes the franchise had greater needs than safety.

“Douglas made a curious decision . . . Davis is a terrific athlete, but the Jets simply had much more pressing concerns than to invest in him. Davis’ arrival obviously revealed that Marcus Maye is not part of the team’s plans beyond 2020 unless he’s willing to take 50 cents on the dollar in a contract extension after his rookie deal expires. The Jets are positioning to pay big money to Jamal Adams at some point. Douglas will not pay big money to a second safety. So, Maye’s time is coming to an end as long as Davis stays healthy and shows promise as a rotational deep safety and cornerback this season.

Alternate Paths: Douglas missed a golden opportunity to make more immediate offensive line upgrades by bypassing Houston offensive tackle Josh Jones, who was scooped up by the Cardinals at No. 72. Imagine having two bookend tackles in Becton and Jones for Darnold for the next decade.

However, here’s the one that could sting for longer: The Jets might have gotten too cute with only 10 picks until their next selection (No. 79). The Falcons took highly regarded Temple center Matt Hennessy at No. 78 right before Gang Green was on the clock again. I spoke to a half dozen general managers, who fawned over Hennessy’s ability to excel in the pivot at the next level. The Jets could have found a decade-long anchor that was a great scheme fit and slid Conor McGovern to guard.

Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who would have been a home-run option in the backfield, was scooped up by the Buccaneers at No. 76. Taking Davis over Jones, Hennessy, Vaughn and even Wisconsin outside linebacker Zack Baun (No. 74 to the Saints) was a head-scratcher given all the factors at play.

*** Davis responds to my question about how fast he could run the 40 right now, given the recent restrictions on training:

-- From ESPN’s Rich Cimini:

A safety? It's one of the Jets' strongest positions, with Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. But take a closer look: Adams' contract situation could get messy, and Maye, the free safety, is entering the final year of his contract. Davis is a free safety, a pure center fielder with seven career interceptions. He's a Gregg Williams kind of player: tough, fiery and fast. He's a former walk-on in two sports (track) and a terrific special-teams player. He's a former cornerback, so he brings versatility and could contribute in a "big nickel" package. Basically, he can play anywhere, which appeals to the defensive coordinator. One concern: Davis had groin surgery in December and didn't perform at the scouting combine. Without a pro day, he had no official 40 time, so he made a tape of himself doing positional drills and sent it to teams.

S JAYLINN HAWKINS (Atlanta Falcons)

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave the Falcons’ draft a C-minus grade and said picking Hawkins in the fourth round was “a reach.”

Here’s what he wrote, with comments from Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and coach Dan Quinn:

Analysis: (Hawkins), too, was surprised to be drafted in the fourth round. He was projected to be a priority free agent. He has a nice one-handed catch highlight against Stanford out there on the internet.

Dimitroff’s take: “Another guy for us, high-energy guy, fits into Dan’s setting here in the mode, high-passion football guy, flies around. Very aggressive, very confident with his abilities. Can play the pass well, runs well, good athletic ability, and again, versatility there. So to add . . . depth not only at our secondary but on the special teams.”

Quinn’s take: “Hawkins certainly is going to have an impact on the team just by his physicality. I think that goes to all four downs that he’s going to play. The physicality, the playmaking ability, the turnovers that he’s created, that’s been a big factor.”

-- From ESPN’s Vaughn McClure:

If there’s an overall theme in this draft, the Falcons are really looking for guys with position versatility. In picking Hawkins, they have someone who started his college career at wide receiver, moved to cornerback then finished up at safety. Hawkins had 10 career interceptions with Cal, and the Falcons are looking for guys capable of creating turnovers. This might be a little bit of a reach with Hawkins a projected seventh-round pick. But the Falcons obviously see size and ability at a need position, with the injuries the team has had at safety with Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen. Hawkins should also be able to contribute on special teams.

LB EVAN WEAVER (Arizona Cardinals)

Arizona Republic NFL writer Bob McManaman gave the Cardinals’ draft an “A” grade, noting how the team focused on improving its defense.

On Weaver, McManaman wrote: “Weaver is an underrated tackling machine with a mean streak, another plus.”

-- From ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss:

Another defensive pick for the team trying to rebuild its defense. Weaver is a tackling machine and one of those players who might not look the part but will get the job done. All the scouting reports on him basically paint the same picture: Someone who isn't as athletically gifted as most NFL players but has a high football IQ, loves the game, sees the field well and thinks through plays at a high level. He's figured out how to make for whatever physical limitations he supposedly has by trying to play one step ahead of everyone else on the field. Regardless, he's been putting up big numbers since high school. He's the type of player who could contribute on special teams immediately for Arizona and eventually play himself into a bigger role.

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @JeffFaraudo

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