Marcus Davenport has to produce in Year 2 to prove Saints' gamble on him was worth it

SmashMouth · 07-28-2019, 08:18 AM

He'll be one of, if not the most watched player on the Saints' roster this season.

More than Drew, Alvin, Michael, Cam, Marshon and all those other Saints who you only need their first name to identify.

You already know what type of productivity you're going to get from those guys.

Now it's defensive end Marcus Davenport's time to show what he can do. It's his turn to prove the Saints were right last year when they rolled the dice and took a chance on a relative unknown defensive end from of the University of Texas-San Antonio.

Fifteen months ago, the Saints gave up two draft picks (a fifth round pick in the 2018 draft and a first round pick in this year's draft) to move up and select Davenport with the No. 14 pick.

There were times last season when he showed flashes of being worthy of that price. There perhaps would have been more dominance like that had it not been for a toe injury he battled through in the latter part of the season.

The toe is fine now as he gears up for Year 2 where he'll be under the microscope while trying to live up to the lofty expectations. He'll get his first start this season, especially now that last year's starter Alex Okafor signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason.

Davenport isn't trying to just be the other defensive end though.

Yeah, he knows Cam Jordan, the teammate he refers to as a mentor and a big brother, is the bell cow of the Saints' defense. But that doesn't mean Davenport can't wreak just as much havoc from the opposite side of the defensive line as his perennial Pro Bowl teammate.

"I was about to say he's Batman and I'm Robin," Davenport said. "But that's lame. I don't want to be Robin. ... If I had to be someone, it would have to be Batman. Or Nightwing."

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07-28-2019, 08:18 AM	#1
SmashMouth I donated, did you? Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Mandeville, LA Posts: 38,477 Blog Entries: 29	Marcus Davenport has to produce in Year 2 to prove Saints' gamble on him was worth it He'll be one of, if not the most watched player on the Saints' roster this season. More than Drew, Alvin, Michael, Cam, Marshon and all those other Saints who you only need their first name to identify. You already know what type of productivity you're going to get from those guys. Now it's defensive end Marcus Davenport's time to show what he can do. It's his turn to prove the Saints were right last year when they rolled the dice and took a chance on a relative unknown defensive end from of the University of Texas-San Antonio. Fifteen months ago, the Saints gave up two draft picks (a fifth round pick in the 2018 draft and a first round pick in this year's draft) to move up and select Davenport with the No. 14 pick. There were times last season when he showed flashes of being worthy of that price. There perhaps would have been more dominance like that had it not been for a toe injury he battled through in the latter part of the season. The toe is fine now as he gears up for Year 2 where he'll be under the microscope while trying to live up to the lofty expectations. He'll get his first start this season, especially now that last year's starter Alex Okafor signed with the Kansas City Chiefs during the offseason. Davenport isn't trying to just be the other defensive end though. Yeah, he knows Cam Jordan, the teammate he refers to as a mentor and a big brother, is the bell cow of the Saints' defense. But that doesn't mean Davenport can't wreak just as much havoc from the opposite side of the defensive line as his perennial Pro Bowl teammate. "I was about to say he's Batman and I'm Robin," Davenport said. "But that's lame. I don't want to be Robin. ... If I had to be someone, it would have to be Batman. Or Nightwing." more on NOLA Attached Thumbnails