As players take their final breaks before training camp, The Redskins Blog will take a look back at the new faces from this offseason and what we've learned about them, football and otherwise, so far.
Today we'll focus on rookie wide receiver Robert Davis.
1. Davis is only the second player in Georgia State history to be selected in the NFL Draft.
Davis was an absolute beast at Georgia State.
He was a three-time all-conference selection and the Panthers' all-time career leader in receptions (222) and receiving yards (3,391). Davis is also the first three-time All-Sun Belt player in GSU history and the first to receive first-team All-Sun Belt honors in two straight years.
2. He's a physical specimen.
Standing at 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, Davis is already one of the biggest receivers on the Redskins' roster. With that kind of size, Davis enters his rookie season looking to make an instant impact on offense.
"I'm an athletic receiver that can help stretch the field," Davis said. "I really feel I can come into that organization with the great receiver coach they have there. I'm just ready to go to work and see what I can do to help the team."
Head coach Jay Gruden also thinks that Davis has the potential to be a big contributor early.
"He just so happened to be 6-3 and runs a 4.4," Gruden said. "Good for us. Really, size, we weren't looking for a specific position there. We were looking for a guy that could run and maybe help out on special teams in his first year and continue to develop and break in the lineup that way first."
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- He initially didn't have a scholarship offer his senior year in high school.**
Davis' senior football season had ended, and he found himself without a single scholarship offer.
However, Georgia State football head coach Trent Miles changed Davis' fortune when he saw him playing in a varsity basketball game.
"It was because my [high school] coach pretty much told him we got a guy here who can really play football, but I mean we run the ball we don't really pass it a lot to him, though, come and watch him play basketball," Davis told Redskins.com. "He ended up coming to one of my basketball games and seeing my athletic abilities and all those things and he offered me after that."
Davis joined Georgia State for the school's first season in the Sun Belt Conference after three years as a Division I-AA program.
Davis took it personal when he played against the big name schools that passed on him.
In games against West Virginia, Alabama, Washington, Clemson, Oregon and Wisconsin, Davis recorded 23 receptions for 335 yards and three touchdowns.
"My mindset was that those were big schools, those where the schools that didn't give me a chance," Davis said. "So I wanted to show them what they missed out on. So that's why I just approached those games with a different mindset that I just had to go out there and be a dog on the field and I feel like I was able to do that."
5. He's ready to compete.
With the departure of two 1,000-yard receivers this offseason, Davis sees a prime opportunity to make his presence felt. He's ready to compete, he doesn't plan on backing down from the competition and he's looking for ways to contribute in any way he can.
"All I can say is I'm a football player," Davis said. "I don't even consider myself as just a wide receiver. I consider myself a football player. I feel like I can go out there and make plays on special teams. I'm willing to block. I went to a triple option high school, where that was the only thing we did. I only caught [11] passes my high school career. I mean, blocking was what I did, and I am a skilled blocker. I'm a physical guy and I'm a guy who's willing to go out there and compete."
6. Apparently, he already has a nickname.
Some fans are already calling Davis “The Beast.” But will the nickname stick? Only time will tell.
When Davis' high school coach saw him playing on his varsity team, he probably saw plays similar to this.
Crazy athleticism translates to multiple sports, and that's evident in this video.
