Indianapolis Colts Cull Florida Gators DB Shawn Davis in NFL Draft

Photo: Shawn Davis; Credit: University of Florida athletic association

The Indianapolis Colts have selected Florida Gators safety Shawn Davis with the 165th pick in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Davis is the sixth former Gator to come off the board, following tight end Kyle Pitts (Atlanta), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (New York Giants), quarterback Kyle Trask (Tampa Bay), cornerback Marco Wilson (Arizona), and kicker Evan McPherson (Cincinnati).

A four-year safety at Florida, Davis made a name for himself as a ball-hawking defender during the 2019 season, tallying the second-most interceptions on the team with three while breaking up another three passes and making 51 tackles. Davis allowed a passer rating in coverage of 37.8 that year, the second-best mark on the team among defenders with at least 200 coverage snaps and ahead of first-round pick cornerback C.J. Henderson.

Davis began his 2020 season by getting ejecting for targeting against Ole Miss and dealt with injuries. When Davis was on the field, he appeared to take a bit of a step back in his game on par with the entire Gators secondary, which gave up the eighth-most passing yards per game in the SEC.

Davis finished his Gators career with 123 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, ten defended passes, and a forced fumble.

Expect Davis to begin his career as a special teamer for the Colts, given his 201 special teams snaps logged at UF. By becoming a more consistent tackler and coverage defender, Davis could one day take the field and make an impact in Indianapolis' secondary.