Quick Hits: Shawn Davis Embraces Being the Last Line of Defense

Safety was a position that many thought the Indianapolis Colts may still address although it wasn't much of a need, and they did just that in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

They made Florida's Shawn Davis the 165th-overall pick, and they get a player who can contribute on special teams and potentially crack the lineup as the third sub-package safety.

Davis spoke with reporters on Saturday afternoon for the first time since becoming a Colt.

Here are the quick hits.

Davis is yet another Senior Bowl alum to come to Indianapolis: Under general manager Chris Ballard, the Colts have made a habit out of selecting players in the draft who participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl. Davis is another example of that as he embraced the opportunity this January.

Just being able to play football, just another day of getting better, just another day – it was a very great experience just for me just being able to be coached by NFL coaches, seeing what it’s like being coached by NFL coaches and just having the experiences of playing with different people and all the great athletes in college football. It was a great experience for me.

Davis is comfortable playing in a diverse set of schemes and positions: At Florida, Davis and the Gators gave offenses plenty of different coverage looks, and Davis himself lined up in multiple spots.

We play a lot of versatility coverages back in Florida. We play a lot of quarters, a lot of trap coverages and a lot of Cover-2. Cover-2, I have a lot of great experiences and have played a two-high, so I’ll be perfect in the (Colts) system...

I would say both (free and strong safety) just because I played both and I’m very comfortable with playing both. I just call myself a safety.

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Davis has that physical edge that you like to see in safeties: Davis has toughness in his game, but to him, it's vital to part of being a safety.

I’d say it’s a part of my game just because at the position that I play, you have to be very physical because you are the last line of defense. If you’re not physical then it’s all touchdowns coming from the backend on your part, so I made being physical a part of my game and one of my physical strengths.

It's critical for late-round picks to play special teams if they're going to make their mark, and Davis is already on the right track: Luckily for Davis, it shouldn't be difficult to catch on as a special teamer with the Colts during the summer as he was a core-four special teamer in Gainesville.

Yes sir, I played all four phases of special teams (kickoff return, kickoff coverage, punt return, punt coverage) throughout my college career.

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