Why Did We Draft Fred Davis?

My point is that sometimes you should veer from your draft board and go for positional needs. We had already locked Cooley up long term, so TE wasn't a great need. Cooley has never missed a game due to injury, so you're effectively drafting a #2 TE with a 2nd round pick. If you're not going to even try to get Davis on the field in 2 TE packages, then it's pretty clear that drafting for other positional needs would be helping the team more at this point.

I agree we should have drafted more for the lines, but my guess is Davis will be the #2 TE and a serious receiving threat next year.

I agree we should have drafted more for the lines, but my guess is Davis will be the #2 TE and a serious receiving threat next year.But why can't Davis be a receiving threat now? Is Yoder really that much better as the #2 TE today?

Well, if we're talking Bennett vs. Fred Davis strictly, I thought Bennett was the better prospect. I was surprised we passed over him for Davis. Luckily, we had just taken Devin Thomas over Jordy Nelson and DeSean Jackson, so my ire was directed elsewhere.

But unlike DT, I have no reason to doubt that Fred Davis will be a quality WR/TE hybrid in this league. I want to say we haven't needed him yet, but that's just not true. We have needed him, and we're just digging in all the wrong places for help at WR.

Watching Davis play in college, it is pretty obvious that he can run and he can catch the football. That is what got him drafted.

As to why he isn't on the field over Yoder - who is a decent TE but nothing more - it really has to be one of two reasons. And you will never get an NFL coach to tell you which one:

1. He isn't smart enough to understand his responsibilities on a wide enough spectrum of plays that they don't dare put him out there for much of anything lest he make a big mistake.


2. He can't block at all and putting him there could place Jason Campbell and/or any of the running backs in serious danger.


It pretty much has to be something along the lines of one of those two things...

As a slot receiver, I think the argument can be made that he doesn't provide any abilities in a spread-em-out throw it around type situation that James Thrash doesn't have.

However, the argument that can not be made is that Todd Yoder is somehow better than Fred Davis because of his veteran presence or something. Davis>Yoder and it's really not even close. Yoder blocks like a WR and receives like a lineman.

I also think there was no plan to get him into the gameplan at all this game because our strategy was to spread Dallas out presnap and exploit matchups. So no reason for a second TE. Or Sellers, after the first drive, apparently.

Watching Davis play in college, it is pretty obvious that he can run and he can catch the football. That is what got him drafted.

As to why he isn't on the field over Yoder - who is a decent TE but nothing more - it really has to be one of two reasons. And you will never get an NFL coach to tell you which one:

1. He isn't smart enough to understand his responsibilities on a wide enough spectrum of plays that they don't dare put him out there for much of anything lest he make a big mistake.


2. He can't block at all and putting him there could place Jason Campbell and/or any of the running backs in serious danger.


It pretty much has to be something along the lines of one of those two things...

I bet it's more in line with #1, combined with Zorn's penchant for very precise play. Zorn has been slow to let the rooks on the field at WR too. What's odd is Zorn had him in more earlier, it seems to me. Maybe he's regressed some in practice.

If he can't block (or at least block better than Yoder), we've got a problem. Let's hope he can be coached up.

I'm sorry if stated earlier but here's my take....we were not pass blocking. It doesn't matter who you put in with no pass blocking. Also they (Dallas)were not getting the ball to anyone so I see them using him as a despiration move.

^ I was actually going to make a smart comment like....." we drafted him for our two TE sets" that we never see. lol. but decided against it.

So let's see if I have this right - Dallas trusts their backup TE drafted in the 2nd round to make a game winning catch in the 4th quarter of a key division game, but our TE drafted in the 2nd round can't get on the field for the Skins, who have scored a grand total of 16 points and one TD at home the past two weeks? We hear what a stud Davis looks like in practice, but Zorn can't find a place for him to impact the game on Sunday? I was vehemently against the Davis pick when there were more pressing depth issues on the O and D lines. But now that we have him, at least let the guy make an impact on Sunday. This is a completely wasted pick for this season if Zorn continues to leave Davis rotting on the pine. For that matter, is Devin Thomas only capable of running 5 yard curls? Until this offense gets something in the passing game from somebody not named Cooley or Moss, it is a very predictable passing attack to gameplan against.


Why did we draft davis? straight from vinny's mouth he said they had davis graded out as a first round talent and he was available in the second round . . . just like when he had taylor jacobs graded out as a first round talent and got him early in the second round.

also vinny said you can find good talent on O and D line in the later part of the draft, he then rattled off names like rob jackson, golston others.

lol and dont give vinny credit for horton, as vinny said they picked him in the compensation round after the 7th round so he had no idea either because if he did he said he would have drafted him in the 2nd round.

i have zero faith in vinny. JC and cooley were joe gibbs picks, dont know about landry ST or rogers.

go skins!!!

edit: i would have liked to spread the 2nd round picks to other areas of the team, but i have no problem with the guys we got. they could have contributed more so far but their time to contribute is coming in a few years when moss slows and ARE is gone.