The Case For Washington LB Jamin Davis as NFL Rookie of the Year

Anyone who has paid attention over the last two seasons understands that Ron Rivera is building the Washington Football Team from the defensive side first. Chase Young and the return of Kendall Fuller were the start, but WFT only cracked the surface last season.

Hoping to build off a top-five unit from 2020 under Jack Del Rio, Washington added cornerback William Jackson III to replace Ronald Darby. They also signed free safety Bobby McCain to solidify the secondary.

Rivera swung big in April at the No. 19 pick with the selection of Jamin Davis. The athletic Kentucky linebacker can play sideline to sideline and be effective at near every level of the field. The expectations are high for Davis to step in, learn the playbook and contribute in both the base 4-3 and subpackages as well.

How talented can Davis be in his rookie year? CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso has the WFT star as the front-runner for the Defensive Rookie of the Year.

READ MORE: Projecting the WFT Offense

Davis was the Zach Wilson of the linebacker group, an out-of-seemingly-nowhere one-year wonder whose film was so juicy he ascended from complete obscurity to the first round.

And Davis' 2020 film really was phenomenal. His … frame made him instantly pop out, and he consistently showcased serious range on outside runs, creative weaves through traffic on runs up the middle and, most critically, game-changing plays in coverage. Davis is a big linebacker with the explosion and athletic fluidity needed to hold up in coverage in today's NFL.

Wilson, who was drafted No. 2 out of BYU by the New York Jets, became a superstar during the COVID-19 season up in Provo. In Lexington, Davis slowly developed into one of the more well-rounded linebackers the SEC has seen in years.

In 11 starts for the Wildcats, Davis recorded 102 total tackles, four tackles for losses, three interceptions, two pass deflections and a touchdown. He finished third in the conference in tackles and was tied with LSU's Jabril Cox for the most interceptions at the position.

Although raw, Trapasso believes that Davis will have an advantage over other names such as Dallas' Micah Parsons or New York's Azeez Ojulari. The reason? Washington's front four in the trenches.

The Washington defensive line is going to keep his jersey as clean as if he didn't even step foot on the field. And with Davis being a tick slow reacting to his keys, not having to immediately deal with blockers climbing to the second level will speed up his processing.

How good is the Football Team's front four? In 2020, journeyman

Jon Bostic

led the team with 118 tackles. While Bostic's still on the roster, Davis will get to play one of the playmaking, outside linebacker spots. Not only will he hit the 100-tackle threshold, he'll get plenty of opportunities to disrupt on pass plays. And Davis will. Frequently.

This isn't to say that Davis won't have any hiccups transitioning from the college game to the NFL. Every rookie will struggle and needs time to adjust to NFL speed.

For Davis, having a cheat code like WFT's defensive line will help plenty in recording tackles. That ultimately gives Washington a chance to land back-to-back DROYs in the short time under Rivera's regime.

CONTINUE READING: OTA Preview: 3 Offensive Position Battles