A Look At The Detroit Lions Signing Of 2018 UDFA Antwuan Davis.
The Detroit Lions have signed Texas UDFA defensive back Antwuan Davis. While the Lions have added several defensive back via the rookie free agency, but Davis stands out due to his untapped potential. Most of the UDFA’s signed by Detroit period, have had years of experience and typically started at least one whole season.
However, Davis was mostly a rotational player for the Longhorns, typically coming in to relieve his fellow defensive backs when they got fatigued. This was his role for the majority of his first three seasons, with senior season as well. This was until starter P.J. Locke III got injured, thrusting Davis into a starting role for the final five games of his career at Texas.
The reason Davis was one of this first UDFA’s to receive a call from Lions general manager Bob Quinn was due to how well he played in the games he did start. His competitive nature is evident when you watch his game, much like that of fellow Lion and former Texas Longhorn Quandre Diggs. His aggressive play style attacking the ball in the air as well as receivers helped him earn a reputation for himself.
At 5’11, 196 lbs, he is better suited for life as a safety, but has the ability to come down in the slot as well. He generated two interceptions, one for a touchdown, as well as a fumble forced, two fumbles recovered, 30 tackles, and a sack in during his short senior year.
Ultimately, there is a handful of plays that stand out for such a short period of full playing time that made the Lions pull the trigger on adding Davis to the Lions off-season program. Now it will be an uphill battle for him to find a place on this team. The Lions deepest position on defense and arguably across the whole roster is their defensive back group. Though the fact he was able to produce so well with playing so little could be a sign there is more to him than we know to this point. Davis was able to compete and produce as an underdog at Texas, but now it is up to him to do the same in Detroit.
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