By Michael Stets
ALLEN PARK–After electing to stay home in Kingsland, Ga. with friends and family, and not make the trek out to Philadelphia to hear his name called on Thursday night, Lions first round draft pick Jarrad Davis made his arrival in Detroit on Friday afternoon.
Davis, who was accompanied by his parents John and Amy, said he was “thrilled to be a Lion” before expressing the appreciation he has for his family.
“It’s all about family at this point,” said Davis. “Without family, without the supporting cast that I had as a kid I wouldn’t be in the position that I’m in right now. I’m extremely thankful for everybody that has played a role in my life in getting me here. That’s why I play the way I play. That’s why I carry myself the way that I carry myself.”
Known for being a player of high character, which is certainly one of the reasons Lions General Manager Bob Quinn chose the Florida linebacker, Davis was asked if he values that over his on-the-field skills.
“I definitely think so,” he said. “I mean, you have to be as a person. Not only as a player, but as a person, you have to be built on something. Your character, all the intangibles that come along with football players. You have to understand that football is only part of the day. Football is only part of the day. You have a whole other life outside of the game. If you can’t control yourself, or if you can’t take care of business in that time, you are only going to be a football for so long. I love this came so much. I’m going to do everything I can to make sure I’m playing this game for as long as I want to play it.”
So how did Davis develop a praiseworthy reputation as a player?
“At a young age it was instilled, man,” said Davis, who admitted to being a Dallas Cowboys fan growing up. “I was a hard-headed kid growing up. Everything wasn’t peaches and cream my whole life, but at the same time it’s nothing that a belt can’t fix and a little bit of yelling. It’s nothing that can’t get fixed by a little bit of leather, man. My mom, my dad, they took care of me at a young age. I learned which way was the right way to go and I knew if I went the other way the belt was coming. But if I went the right way then good things are going to come. That’s how I attack things in life each and every day. If I do the hard thing now, later on I’m going to reap the benefits. So that’s how I try to approach things in my daily life.”
As for Davis’ on-the-field play, Lions head coach Jim Caldwell raved about the brute force and hitting ability of the newest linebacker.
“The physical aspect is something that comes natural to him,” said Caldwell. “I was sitting in the room talking with he and his mom and dad and he talked about his first experience playing football when he was 10 years old. Having an opportunity to finally feel the contact out on the field and realize the it was something that he enjoyed and looked forward to. And you can see that in his play. He’s a guy that hits with leverage and there is a nice striking force behind it. He’s a knock-back tackler and we certainly are looking forward to him coming in. He’s going to help us and help us immediately.”
When asked to reveal more of that childhood story, Davis mentioned being nervous when he began playing football as a 10-year-old running back in his little league years, and that he once questioned — after taking a big hit for the first time — if he really wanted to play football at all. But the game of football “is something that was extremely infectious to me as a little kid and it still is today. And it continues to grow each and every year as I get older,” Davis said.
Davis made the transition to linebacker in middle school and he never looked back. He became a starter in his junior season in 2015 and was a standout defensive player in the SEC the last two seasons, earning second team All-SEC honors in 2016. Once a child being unsure about playing football after absorbing a big hit, the Lions first-round pick said there is nothing quite like lowering the boom on an opposing player.
“It’s an experience that’s unmatched, to be honest with you. I love hitting,” Davis said. “I love striking people. I love just exerting force on another person. You can’t do it in any other way. You can’t do it on the street. You can’t do it at anybody’s house. You have to do it within the lines, within the paint. It’s something that I chase while I play the game. I need that.”
And the Lions certainly need that type of mentality on the defensive side of the ball.
Davis is 6′ 1″ 238 pounds and ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at his Pro Day. Caldwell said a linebacker with the level of athleticism, speed and strength that Davis possesses does not come around too often.
“It’s rare to see a guy with his size and bulk that can move like he moves. He’s a guy that’s versatile. Certainly going to be able to play three downs for us as well, fourth down if we happen to put him on special teams also because he’s capable of that as well.”