Why the Jaguars Selected Rookie Tight End Tyler Davis

From his toughness to his speed to his native stomping grounds, there is a lot to Tyler Davis' game that drew him to the Jaguars.

Playing tight end for Georgia Tech has never been a lucrative role. For years, the Yellow Jackets ran a triple-option offense, and any tight ends were simply extra run blockers.   

But despite this, and despite Georgia Tech transition to a new offensive scheme which saw growing pains, Tyler Davis was able to get enough eyes on him through his play and leadership.

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone and the Jaguars were drawn to Davis thanks to his skill set and the mindset he will bring to the tight end room. Despite a final year production and usage in a passing offense that won't jump off the page, the Jaguars saw enough from Davis to be convinced he could bring legitimate competition to the position.  

“You always feel good about where you are from a standpoint of the players that you have, but you always want to create more competition and see if someone could beat somebody out," Marrone said following the draft. "So I think when you have the ability and you look at someone and they have all the traits that you're looking for, outside of being a Met fan, you're pretty excited."

The Jaguars will be betting on those traits in hopes of Davis developing, as the UConn transfer came to Georgia Tech in a time of transition for the program, leading to middling production. 

As a senior, Davis (6-foot-4, 250-pounds) recorded 17 receptions for 148 yards and one touchdown on the season. He served primarily as a run and pass blocker, while also serving on the specials teams units. 

Davis' time with UConn was a bit more prolific than his one season with Georgia Tech. In three seasons, Davis caught 47 passes for 500 yards and seven touchdowns, including six touchdowns in 2018, which was tied for the second-most by a tight end in UConn history.

For Marrone, it was Davis' skill set and attitude on the field that drew him to him as a prospect. If things fall correctly, Davis will have the same attitude on the field that he and Marrone say their backgrounds have instilled in them off of it.

"But like I said, he's from the South Shore. Guys that are from Long Island know the North Shore is the Gold Coast. The South Shore are the guys that are working. Now that conversation was interesting," Marrone said. 

"I said, ‘You know, I'm from Throgs Neck in The Bronx.’ So usually people that live in Long Island, they’ve got to go over either the Throgs Neck Bridge or the Whitestone Bridge.’ So he's like, ‘Oh, that's awesome. You know that us guys from New York, we’re some mean son of a guns.’ And you can put in all the other words there. So I was like, ‘Alright! Pretty cool. We’ll see. We'll get a chance to see how mean you are when we get those pads on.’"

After watching the film and speaking with those who knew Davis best, Marrone and the Jaguars knew he was a tight end with a legitimate NFL skill set. Considering the question marks around the rest of the tight end room, and new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden's affinity for tight ends, this should serve Davis well.

"But yeah, obviously, here's a guy that has a great skill set. He was a quarterback coming out of high school and was at Connecticut and transferred to Georgia Tech. And I've got a kid that I coached when I was at Georgia Tech, went back and he’s a line coach there and loves him," Marrone said.

"A couple of other people: Corey Edsall, Randy Edsall’s son, was at Connecticut when he was there; we texted, [and he] really loved the kid. So I'm excited. He has a great opportunity in front of him. He has the ability to do it, and we'll see if he's good enough.”

Davis said the Jaguars have spoken to him about playing a variety of roles in the Jaguars' offense as he acclimates to the NFL. Whether it is lined up off the formation or on the line of scrimmage, Davis knows the Jaguars believe in his talents, hence why they selected him to begin with.

"So, it would be a lot of the same stuff I’ve been doing in college. Like I said, putting your hand in the dirt and then being able to play off the ball," Davis said. "Just do both and be able to use my athleticism to set up mismatches across the field. So, it’s been about that.”