Photo by John Hefti, USA Today
Cal Football: Ashtyn Davis Listed at No. 49 on SI's Latest Top-100 NFL Draft Big Board
It’s increasingly clear that one-time high hurdler Ashtyn Davis will be taken higher in the NFL draft than the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year.
Davis, who excelled at safety for Cal the past couple seasons after earning All-America honors in track and field, is ranked at No. 49 on a new Sports Illustrated list of the top 100 prospects for this year’s NFL draft.
Evan Weaver, who led the nation in tackles and was a consensus All-America pick at linebacker, does not appear among the 100 most promising college players.
It won’t help Weaver that Cal’s pro day - originally scheduled for Friday - has been canceled because of the COVID-19 crisis. Weaver had hoped to impress pro scouts on his home field after a competent but unspectacular showing at the NFL combine.
Davis, who has great speed and has shown growth as a football player, is the third safety listed on Kevin Hanson’s top-100 board. The only safety rated higher are LSU’s Grant Delpit and Alabama’s Xavier McKinney, who are pegged at Nos. 22 and 23.
Click here for SI’s 100-prospect big board and a video conversation about quarterbacks likely to be taken in the first round of the April 23-25 NFL draft.
Among inside linebackers, Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons checks in at No. 4 on the top-100 board.
The highest-rated Pac-12 player on the board is Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert at No. 17. Herbert is among four quarterbacks rated among the top-25, along with No. 2 Joe Burrow of LSU, Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama at No. 5 and Jordan Love of Utah State at No. 25.
A total of 12, including also wide receiver Laviska Shenault of Colorado at No. 33, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State at No. 34, offensive tackle Austin Jackson of USC at No. 36, cornerback Jaylon Johnson of Utah at No. 40, wide receiver Michael Pittman of USC at No. 53, quarterback Jacob Eason of Washington at No. 64, edge rusher Bradley Anae of Utah at No. 73, linebacker Troy Dye of Oregon at No. 81, running back Zack Moss of Utah at No. 85 and tight end Hunter Bryant of Washington at No. 97.
