Did we spend a high first rounder on a situational-type of player who just does one thing well? (stuff the run)

And he already got injured when we tried to play him more.

Is he ever going to become an every-down player like Cox? 

 

That question will be answered if next season Cox is gone and Davis is conditioned enough from the offseason to be a full-time starter.  He had conditioning issues in college and didn't play every down so it was always a "project" in that regard.  The injury set back his development so we'll have to wait and see.  They potentially could have stayed put, taken a DE and then got a DT in another round.  They gambled that Davis would be a generational talent.

100% sure. He is already having a big influence. Give him a full offseason with our conditioning coaches and he will dominate. Total freak and great attitude.

He was a really good pick. Love his upside, and his potential to be like the next Fletcher Cox.

Part of the reason why we picked him is because of his floor. He was pretty much a guaranteed elite run stuffer but with absurd athleticism to develop into more. He wasn't really asked to pass rush at Georgia, it's not like he doesn't have the ability. Part of that is because he didn't really control his weight.

He will get DPOY within 5 years 

OP, we've got to give these young guys chance to develop.  There's not a right or wrong answer to your question, but if he can be half of what we expect him to be, he can be a stood in this defense for the next half decade.

Or more.

I don't think we've seen anywhere near of what he could be. Say what you want about Cox, and Suh at this point in there careers. Having those guys show him tenacity and technique can go a long way.

At this point, we’re absolutely stacked on the interior of the DL. I’d like to see him get more snaps, but I think preference will be given to the veterans.

The problem with success: This type of post becomes more frequent.

 

When they drafted him, the initial plan was to limit his snaps during his first year.  I think he's played 30-35% of defensive snaps when he's been active. So they're sticking with the plan to develop him deliberately.  This is all part of the plan the Eagles announced months ago.  Nothing to see here. 

That's a lot of man meat to move around every snap on D. We already see the impact he's had on limited snaps. I'm sure come next year we'll see him on the field even more. Losing 20lbs (hopefully fat) should make him even more nimble. 

1 hour ago, Portyansky said:

That's a lot of man meat to move around every snap on D. 

🤔

It’s hard to be critical at 11-1, but lay off the OP.  The Eagles have a long history of over-investing in DT with limited results.  Davis’ rookie year impact follows that trend, not the opposite.  Get over it.

I’d imagine their idea is him to become an every down player. He is a physical freak at a position that really needed youth/depth. 

We’ll see if he’ll be more Haloti Ngata or Casey Hampton 

2 hours ago, eagle45 said:

It’s hard to be critical at 11-1, but lay off the OP.  The Eagles have a long history of over-investing in DT with limited results.  Davis’ rookie year impact follows that trend, not the opposite.  Get over it.

If we’re strictly talking DT, the results have been fine. You just think guys who had solid careers were scrubs. Corey Simon, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley, Bennie Logan were all solid picks. Fletcher Cox was a home run; Trevor Laws was a bust.

And Jordan Davis has also been fine so far.

48 minutes ago, vaff said:

If we’re strictly talking DT, the results have been fine. You just think guys who had solid careers were scrubs. Corey Simon, Mike Patterson, Broderick Bunkley, Bennie Logan were all solid picks. Fletcher Cox was a home run; Trevor Laws was a bust.

And Jordan Davis has also been fine so far.

Bunkley ultimately had a solid career but was meh for the Eagles. Bennie Logan was a 2-down 3rd round pick. 

Patterson is an interesting scenario. Yeah he had a long tenure with the Eagles but was always far from good. He wasn’t a good run stuffer or pass rusher. Felt like he did his job just OK enough to keep around. And I guess was at least consistent about it.

It’s unfair to expect Davis to be Fletcher Cox. They’re two different players. I’m hoping for an upper middle-class version of Haloti Ngata. Eat up blocks while being a great run stuffer and above average interior pass rusher.

Ngata never put up flashy numbers but probably had about a 3-4 year stint where he could have been the most valuable player on a defense that also had Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Terrell Suggs. 

While we're at it, don't get me started on Cam Jurgens! The dude hardly ever plays. 

What the hell was Howie thinking!? Grrrrr!

44 minutes ago, EaglePhan1986 said:

Bunkley ultimately had a solid career but was meh for the Eagles. Bennie Logan was a 2-down 3rd round pick. 

Patterson is an interesting scenario. Yeah he had a long tenure with the Eagles but was always far from good. He wasn’t a good run stuffer or pass rusher. Felt like he did his job just OK enough to keep around. And I guess was at least consistent about it.

It’s unfair to expect Davis to be Fletcher Cox. They’re two different players. I’m hoping for an upper middle-class version of Haloti Ngata. Eat up blocks while being a great run stuffer and above average interior pass rusher.

Ngata never put up flashy numbers but probably had about a 3-4 year stint where he could have been the most valuable player on a defense that also had Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, and Terrell Suggs. 

Patterson/Bunkley/Logan were just solid lunch pale guys that every team needs. When you look at their AV on pro-football-reference in relation to where they were selected, they had solid careers. The expectations were higher for Bunkley, but he still had a solid career. The average AV per season over their first 4 years for the 14th pick is 4.711. He put up an AV of 24 over that span. So 6 per year.

I think people just always expect home runs with high picks.

I haven’t seen anything yet that has me worried about his play. He probably deserves a bit of a pass this year because our DL has such a heavy rotation. Before Suh & Joseph, he was still sharing snaps with Hargrave & Cox. The injury sucks but luckily it was a short term one & hopefully doesn’t impact his play rest of the season.
 

I’ll be a little more critical next year because we will need him to step up, but I’m willing to be extra patient with his development because that size/athleticism/attitude is such a great combo of traits. Plus getting to learn from guys like Graham/Cox/Suh/Joseph/Hargrave is so valuable. 

Yes

/close

The absolute state of our run defense the first week he wasn't available should've answered this question for you, yes he's a good pick, he was the right pick.

Even if he never develops much of a pass rush he’s a good pick. As a rookie, he’s already an elite run defending DT/NT. 
 

I still think he can develop into a pass rusher too. He’s raw in that regard because he wasn’t really even asked to do it at Georgia. But with his size and athleticism it is reasonable to think he’ll eventually start getting his sacks. Even if not, he can still get push into the backfield so the QB can’t step up in the pocket, which will allow the other guys to get sacks. 

He's a rookie who missed time with an injury. Ou run defense was greatly improved when he returned from said injury. Give the dude time, he will continue to improve. It's a fair question to ask, just a bit too early

Just now, kiwinavega said:

He's a rookie who missed time with an injury. Ou run defense was greatly improved when he returned from said injury. Give the dude time, he will continue to improve. It's a fair question to ask, just a bit too early

I’m high on Davis, but he only played 6 snaps. Can’t really credit him for being the reason the run D was so good against Tennessee. 

I don't disagree, but something clicked on Sunday. I haven't seen run defense like that from the Eagles in years. I live in hope!