In one-on-one drills, practice-squad cornerback Robertson Daniel pressed close to the line of scrimmage. Davis went deep, catching a pass 30 yards downfield.
It looked like a flash of natural, physical ability. It was something more. In his first steps, Davis noticed Daniel was being “patient” with his go-route. Davis took a wide release off the line of scrimmage, avoiding Daniel’s contact.
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“He’s really fast,” Daniel said.
He wasn’t getting burned again. Next rep, Daniel backpedaled to guard against the deep ball. Davis sold the go route, avoided Daniel’s jam off the line of scrimmage. With Daniel’s momentum going backward, Davis stopped on a dime.
The football was in his hands when he turned around.
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“That’s route running,” Daniel said, “and understanding who you’re going against. He understands his opponent. Because a lot of guys I go against sometimes just try to swivel their way by me. He was taking a lot of wide releases (to avoid press-man coverage). He was taking wide releases away from my reach out, away from my strike point. Which is really smart.”
That’s something else Davis was in his first NFL practice — quite smart, actually.
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“It’s everything,” Davis said. “... you have to be a great route runner.
“Working at that is everything, because you’re a receiver. It’s your trade. Running routes is literally everything.”
Davis’ route running was criticized before the draft, but the Packers believe Davis is more than a pure speed receiver.
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Moments after the Packers drafted him, director of football operations Eliot Wolf gushed about Davis’ route running. Very smooth, Wolf said. Sudden. Davis, at 6-foot-1 and 188 pounds, played mostly on the perimeter at Cal. The Packers believe he has the shiftiness and technique to also play the slot.
“Good route runner,” Wolf said.
“The first thing that jumps out at you,” McCarthy said, “is his speed. And his hands.”
Davis knows he has a good chance with Rodgers, who he said “throws perfect deep balls.” If his speed is the key to unlocking a spot on the 53-man roster, his route-running will determine whether he sees the field.
So near the end of his first practice, after Davis shook Daniel for a wide-open catch underneath, it was worth noting cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt Jr.’s booming reaction.
“That’s a good route!” Whitt shouted. “That’s a good route!”
Originally Posted by Bretsky
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