Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

ILB Rod Davis
(6'-2",239 Lbs,4.75 40 yd dash) Southern Mississippi

Notes: Four-year starter in high school who moved from defensive back to linebacker as a senior.Redshirted in 1999.Played in 12 games and started 10 at middle linebacker in 2000 and finished with 94 tackles,seven tackles for a loss and one sack.Also registered seven pass breakups,two interceptions and one forced fumble.Led the team in tackles with 100 in '01 and added ten tackles for a loss,three sacks,four pass breakups,two interceptions,one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.Started all 13 games in '02 and led the team with 168-23.5-10.5.Also had three pass breakups,two interceptions,one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries.Third-team Associated Press All-American in '02 and a Butkus Award semifinalist.Started all 12 games in which he played in '03 with 164-20-4 and four pass breakups,11 QB hurries,one fumble recovery and five forced fumbles.Three-time first-team All-Conference USA selection.

Positives: Superproductive.Adequate size and strength.Great football intelligence and an active playmaker.Sure tackler.Reads and reacts quickly.Very good change of direction.Plays faster than timed speed because of his great instincts and recognition skills.

Negatives: Lacks great speed and explosiveness.Does not use his hands well to shed blockers.Tight hips.Slips blocks more than he takes them on.Questionable character.

Summary: Looks like the next Ray Lewis based on his production but may turn out more like Dana Howard (1994 Butkus Award winner who fizzled in the pros)at the next level due to his lack of speed and inconsistent effort.Can't be more than a two-down linebacker in the NFL and is a longshot at that.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

davis is solid, but not the answer the Saints need. they need a possible all-pro at the mlb position, and i think that vilma, with the front four we have, is quite capable of acheiving just that. i also think that lehman on the outside would give us good coverage as well as blitzing packages that the Saints desperately need. Lehman is also a proven leader, as noted by the Sooners winning a national championship in 2000 and leading them back to the championship game last year.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Is there one single person on this site that doesn\'t think he\'d be an immediate upgrade at MLB over Orlando Ruff and Darrin Smith?
The boy has game speed. He will be a starter for a long time in this league. Maybe never a top 10 MLB but pretty damn close. Kinda like a Vaughan Johnson. The silent contributor.
I\'d take him in the 3rd, if we don\'t get Vilma in the 1st. I\'d even risk 2B on him if we don\'t get Vilma.
He is a player.

[Edited on 17/4/2004 by Danno]

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

vaughn johnson would have been a no-name player without the tenacity of Swilling, the heart of Mills, and the ferocity of Jackson. Davis would have at the best only Rodgers (not saying too much) to help him out. Our LB\'s are, well let\'s face it, horrible. Davis would not make the impact that Vilma would. Don\'t get me wrong, he\'s a great player that I loved to watch in college, but like I said, we need an impact starter from day one, and i\'m sorry, Rod Davis is not that player.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I agree on Vilma, but I also think that Davis @ MLB and a DJ Williams at OLB would be better that Vilma at MLB and Grant @ OLB.
But at least we\'re talkinf LB upgrades, which is good.
I\'m not concerned with the names or positions, just that they have LB after their name.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Vilma and Lehman would be a much better fit than Williams and Davis. Williams is at least a year off from being a productive pro football player, key word pro. Vilma could have came out last year and been a top 15-20 pick. Williams still needs to hone his skills for the nuances of the game. Doing that at the pro level is tough. Again, while you are right, any combination of new LB\'s would suffice, I think the Saints would be much, much better off with Vilma and Lehman.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I wouldn\'t beetch one second if they chose ANY combo of LB\'s in this draft.
Boulware, Lehman, Vilma, DJ, Seigler, Davis, Smith, Fox, Thomas, Dansby, Watson, and about 20 more. There are no sure things and lets face it, the scouts are a bit more informed than we are.
Is Vilma a good fit for the type of defense we run?
Is Davis the perfect compliment to DJ Williams and Rodgers?
Does a Siegler, Davis or Watson fit better with our defensive scheme?
Would a Donterrious Thomas, who can play all 3 LB positions, be a better option at 2A than Vilma at 1?
These are questions I\'ll admit I have no flipping clue about.
I\'m just hoping we don\'t drat a OG, OT, C, TE, RB, or QB with our 1st pick. Unless of course Manning gets caught with some Gaunja and some Hookers and slips to 18!
Hey, I guy can dream can\'t he, even its a perverted warped one at that?

I mean, who hasn\'t been caught with some weed and a couple o\' hookers? Right? ;)

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I am trying to figure out why you guys keep on insisting that the Saints are taking not one, but two linebackers on the first day of the draft. I dont think going that route makes a whole helluva lot of sense. They resigned Derrick Rodgers, James Allen and Sedrick Hodge were both first day picks two and three years ago. Cie Grant was a first day pick last year. I know that most of those guys are unheard of around the league, but with two extra LB\'s, the numbers just dont add up. Cie Grant, Derrick Rodgers, and James Allen are most likely gonna start for us on opening day.

I am all about the Saints drafting Vilma or Williams in the first....OR...Dontarious Thomas in the second....OR..perhaps Daryl Smith or Rod Davis.

My point is the Saints will probably add one linebacker...hard to imagine them taking two.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Excellent point Jim. It makes more sense to add 2 CB\'s than it does 2 LB\'s doesn\'t it.
LB is a weak point on this team and too many of us want wholesale changes for 2004.
But you nailed it
SLB-Hodge and Allen will fight it out. The winner should be more than adequate.
MLB- Grant, Ruff and Smith should fight it out. The winner should be more than adequate.
WLB- Rodgers and ????? Maybe Grant if he doesn\'t work out at MLB. Maybe Vilma if Grant wins the MLB comp.

I\'m starting to think Vilma may be the solution at MLB or or even WLB.

I\'m not convinced enough to change my sig, but its danm close.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Athletically, I just am not sure that Davis has the athletic abilities to be a successful NFL LB.

Sure, he had enough game speed to be \"fast enough\" in college, but fast enough in college doesn\'t usually cut it in the NFL. So I question his speed.

Furthermoe, he was only able to manage 9 strength reps at the combine, and 12 at his individual workout. By comparison, Vilma did 23 at his pro day. DeAngelo Hall, a CB, did 15. Gamble, another CB, did 16.

http://www.nfl.com/draft/analysis/in...orkouts#vatech

I just don\'t think a MLB who is weaker than most CBs will be able to cut it in the NFL.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

what has any of our current LB\'s done in the past 2 yrs. that may cause you to say he\'s \"more than adequate\" at their position. they all are horrible. fast, but not worthy of starting for any team but the Saints.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Typical Saints suck comment...
I\'ll be gentle...
Hodge missed half the season with an injury. He played well when he came back. He\'s basically a 3rd year, 3rd round LB. Gee, pardon my optimism but he may step up.
Allen is probably gonna push him for his job. Competition=improvemment. A 3rd year guy pushing another 3rd year guy. I think it may result in an adequate LB.

Grant is another LB you know nothing about except that he was a PLAYMAKER at OSU. If he beats out Ruff he WILL be more than adequate, If our D-line had played the run better Ruff would have been adequate. So call it wackey, but if Grant beats out an adequate (meaning average) guy, I\'d call him more than adequate. But I\'m a logical kinda guy.

Yes our LB\'s were below average. But every one of them are young, and have potential to be MUCH better than they showed in 2003. If you want to bring the LB coach into question then I\'d cut you some slack. But to say they aren\'t wothy of starting for any team in the NFL is shortsighted.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Good point Danno....touching up on what i was saying...The Saints LB\'s are far from exceptional, but they havent reached their peak yet either. Its not as if these guys are 30 years old and past their prime...we are talking about three relatively young guys (Hodge, Allen, Grant) that have potential to be really good. Remember the preseason game Hodge had against Miami. He made some really athletic plays that shows me, yes it was preseason but he can do some things. I dont like our LB\'s, but Allen and Grant have a lot of upside and Rodgers is at worst solid. Adding one rookie makes sense, adding two is just plain silly.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I agree with you on that one! My thoughts have always been you do not have a problem if Rodgers is one of your starting LBs... but you DO have a problem when Rodgers is your best LB.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I agree with you on that one! My thoughts have always been you do not have a problem if Rodgers is one of your starting LBs... but you DO have a problem when Rodgers is your best LB.


That is a good point. Rodgers can handle his own but is in no way spectacular.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

most of this is true... but the Saints cannot and will not compete with sub-par linebackers. the d-line is steadily improving, but the Saints, it seems, continue to neglect the fact that we don\'t have anyone beyond that.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

and i don\'t think the Saints suck... they are inconsistent but they have great potential

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Smith, I honestly feel that he wouldn\'t be much of an upgrade from Ruff. As for Grant, Allen, and Hodge, Jimbone is right about them not being known nationally, but a couple years ago I never heard of Ian Gold and then he just blew up on the screen. The Saints are going to do the right thing and give these young linebackers a chance to prove themselves. It would be hasty to give up on them just because they wern\'t immediate superstars.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I think that once Cie Grant gets on the field, he is gonna make plays. Whether it is inside or on the weakside, i dont know, but he is a good athlete and he has going on upstairs. He is a bright kid and I think he will pan out well.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

gold is a very hard worker and has great fundamentals. our LB\'s would be better off going back to high school and learning the position all over again. arm tackling doesn\'t cut it in the NFL, nor does going for the \"kill shot\" ala Te-sucky Jones.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

grant, due to not playing last year, gets a little slack, but hodge, allen, ruff... these guys have been in the league and done squat. i mean at least smith has done a little something and for that i respect and like him as a Saint, but he\'s up there in age and i\'m afraid his best days as a pro are all but gone. he can still contribute, but in a limited role. i hope cie does pan out, as next year pretty much depends on how reliable he can be.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

well ChRxis, maybe you should teach \'em how to tackle. These guys didnt make this far without having some kind of talent. I am sure that they know what its gonna take to succeed in the NFL. Whether or not they will, still too early to tell. Some people take longer to develop than others.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

i\'m sure they have loads of talent, but how long do you need? 3 yrs? 4 yrs? hell, take the entire decade...

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I don\'t ever recall Tebucky Jones playing linebacker. Our D-line sucked last year. Howard was hurt half of the year, we had a rookie DT, Jackson got cut, Kenny Smith is as inconsistent as they come...All we really had was Grant. Now how do you expect our linebackers to play good with that?

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

It all starts up front and for the most part of the season...we didnt have anything up front. Kendrick Allen, Henry Ford, Melvin Williams, Howard Green....not one dominator in the bunch huh? Not exactly paving the way for our backers either.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I agree with the booger man. Our D-line stunk last year. The linebackers will improve this year simply because our DL will improve. Young was a great pick up and will help our hole front seven.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

our front four, if healthy, is one of the stronger areas of the team, especially next year with sullivan having a year under his belt. grant and howard are studs at DE, and with Young serving as the other DT, our LB\'s won\'t have any excuse next year.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

the arm tackling thing plagues the entire defense, not just Jones, and i am fully aware that he plays safety, not LB

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

Yeah, I do agree the armtackling needs to stop.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

i agree spanky, young was a great pick up and our LB\'s will be able to do more since they won\'t be seeing all the blocking they were last year. and what is up with the arm tackling anyways? it\'s like watching jr. high football out there.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

I think they should try to crotch tackle.

Rod Davis Scouting Report
 

arm tackling is overrated