Deshaun Davis’ film reveals promise and concerns."The linebacker position was a serious issue for the Bengals defense in 2018 Trey Hopkins Jersey White , so it wasn’t surprising when they double down at the linebacker position in the 2019 NFL draft. The second linebacker they selected was Auburn’s Deshaun Davis. Davis is considered a very intelligent play and even a coach on the field. He does however have some limitations, which is why he was a Day 3 pick. Athletic AbilityDavis’ testing results left a lot to be desired, but he does show athleticism on the field. Watch as he changes direction and closes in on the quarterback in this clip. This demonstrates that he has enough functional athletic ability to play the position.Davis once again shows off his athletic ability against this jet sweep here. The ball carrier presses all the way to the numbers. Davis is not quite there in time to make a play in the backfield, but is able to adjust and make the tackle from behind for a short gain. Davis is not an extraordinary athlete, but appears to meet the minimum threshold to be at least serviceable on a defense. Block DestructionDavis generally does a good job of getting off of blocks. Here he takes on the puller who is leading up the hole with good leverage and brings his hips through which gives him power. As a result, he is able to disengage from the block and make the tackle in the gap.In this clip, the center is quick to get off of the double team block and up to Davis. Davis engages on the center aggressively and is able to shed the block with ease. He then tracks down the ball carrier on the edge, knocking another blocker out of the way in order to get involved in the tackle. Davis is a bit slow to make his reads, which may be a function of his role in the Auburn defense. This frequently leads him to get blocked, but he engages the blockers before they engage him and this helps him get off these block more often than not. TacklingDavis has a lot of issues with his tackling. Far too often he dives at the legs of the ball carrier. Even when he does not, he is inconsistent bring his hips and keeping his legs moving. This clip is a great example of him diving to make a tackle. He is able to make the play this time, but when a player dives he takes his eyes off of the ball carrier and leaves his feet. Both of these things can lead to missed tackles. Look at the size of the gap the ball carrier is running through. If he planted his outside foot and cut to the inside just as Davis left his feet Clayton Fejedelem Jersey White , he would be running for a long time. This is a much better tackle. It is an inside zone play to the offense’s right and Davis is the outside linebacker to their left. Davis is the cut back player and patiently waits, reading the backfield action. When the running back looks to bend back to the left, Davis steps forward. This time, he stays on his feet and brings his hips on contact with the running back. Davis keeps his feet moving and drives him back into the backfield. Davis is inconsistent as a tackler. He has shown that he can be a good tackler, but dives wildly too often and even when he keeps his feet he does not always follow through on his tackles. These issues are fixable with good coaching.CoverageDavis was not asked to do too much in coverage. He mostly drops into the hole and reads the quarterback. In this clip he does just that. After showing blitz, he bails out keeping his eyes on the quarterback. The quarterback sets up quickly to throw to the left, and Davis breaks on it quickly. He gets there shortly after the ball and is able to get involved in the tackle.Deshaun Davis is not going to blow you away with his athletic ability, but he shows some flashes of ability that indicate that he could make an NFL roster. He is a physical player, with a nose for the ball. His athleticism is a limiting factor, but many of his issues can be fixed. This is one of those postings that may only interest me — AKA, I’m thinking about something and I answer it via a Chop Block post. There’s very little insight, story structure Womens Joe Mixon Jersey , or analysis here; just answering random musings from the couch during a stormy Cincinnati afternoon. There might not even be a conclusion; I’ll just stop when I’m finished.It was one of the first years we began operations at Cincy Jungle. I’m thinking it was 2007 or 2008 (can you believe we launched in 2006?). An email arrived in my inbox from a gentleman asking that comments regarding his wife be removed. Apparently the comments were from a disgruntled coworker with this woman, and the vulgar comments were being posted at various Bengals-centric websites. I immediately complied, deleting the comments and banning this user.The emailer was Andrew Whitworth. It should be noted that I didn’t delete the comments because it was a request from Whitworth; we’ve always had a policy on decency and against mean-spirited comments (at least at the time, leading to deletion and termination). You better believe I had a “OMG THIS IS WHITWORTH TALKING TO ME” moment. We exchanged comments over the years, mostly based on encouragement, or making fun of people over-reacting (See: Reaction to comments when he was seeking an extension after Bengals drafted two offensive tackles). Whitworth is a genuine fellow — the real deal. A class act. Talented footballer. Great family man. So when the Los Angeles Rams defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night, it was a great moment for the Bengals alum who still has many adorning fans in Cincinnati celebrating his personal milestone. After seven straight postseason losses, Whitworth won his first playoff game in his all-star career — he lost six with the Bengals and one with the Rams last year. And that’s awesome. The Rams powered for 273 yards rushing on Sunday and Andrew Whitworth was a significant reason why.(h/t Deadspin)Whitworth, selected in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft, is a fan favorite destined for a team-based Hall of Fame (make it happen, Katie and Troy), or the mythical Ring of Honor in Cincinnati. There’s a place for him as one of the franchise’s best offensive linemen when you factor effectiveness Vincent Rey Jersey White , character, and leadership. Especially leadership. When NFL owners initiated a lockout in 2011, coaches and executives were prevented from contacting their players. It was Whitworth and Domata Peko that organized offseason workouts — which was critical to the development of a rookie quarterback that was expected to start if Carson Palmer followed through with his retirement threat. It was Whitworth that helped keep the lockerroom together when it could have easily divided into two camps, one supporting each quarterback (recall the Michael Silver article from several years ago that I can’t find anymore). Eventually Cincinnati tried to initiate a succession plan, bringing in younger offensive tackles to eventually replace Whitworth, who was vying for an extension. It didn’t work out for Cincinnati, but at least Whitworth found success out west and is now heading to the NFC Championship game. As Bengals fans, we say congratulations to one of the best players and human beings we’ve seen wear the stripes.