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When building your roster, you can never have too many cornerbacks. That's a big reason why James Franklin and his defensive sta9 have taken Je9rey Davis Jr., a three-star prospect out of Connecticut with some intriguing skills. Davis shined as a wide receiver at Kingswood Oxford, but he's expected to play on the opposite side of the ball at Penn State. He's a slight projection based on his highlight 7lm, which makes him a bit hard to read at this early stage in his career. However, there are always translatable skills that can be gleaned from 7lm, even if it's at a di9erent posi- tion. STRENGTHS NATURAL ATHLETICISM This is a bit of a catch-all for Davis, who has some unique movement skills for a 6-foot-0 player. He's a higher-cut athlete with long legs and a strong stride. Those at- tributes, combined with very good arm length and inferior competition, make him seem like a dominant 7gure on 7lm. Despite his good movement skills, his body type does not come o9 as twitchy or explosive due to his stride and move- ment skills. Yet, there's no doubt that he's got impressive deep speed as a re- ceiver. On top of that, Davis is a very 8uid, smooth athlete who can move e9ort- lessly around the 7eld with quick feet and good hip mobility. While there aren't a lot of reps on 7lm of him at cor- nerback, he displays all the skills that are critical to being able to mirror and match receivers. Of the reps we do see, the West Hartford resident is quickly able to gain position and leverage on re- ceivers and cut o9 routes. Davis's calling card, though, is deep speed. With his long stride and easy movement, he's able to fool defenders into thinking they're in position before 8ying by them at high speed. He's de- ceptively fast and will likely only get faster based on factors that we'll get to in a moment. BALL SKILLS Like several of the other defenders in this class, Davis is a very good receiver. His ability to adjust to the ball in the air and track down deep passes is a valuable talent that will translate to defense, because it's the same skill, simply done in reverse. With his mix of athleticism and ball skills, he has the potential to develop into a very good zone cornerback who can read and react to the ball in the air. PRESS COVERAGE Davis does a very good job of eluding press coverage on 7lm, which is a rare trait for a young wide receiver. To do so, you must under- stand what the defender is trying to ac- complish with his jam at the line of scrimmage. A likely reason he knows this? Davis shows an understanding of how to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage in reps at cornerback. It doesn't always take physicality and brute strength to be a nuisance at the line of scrimmage. Davis is able to position himself and cut o9 ac- cess to the inside or outside depending on his leverage and assignment at the line. If he can develop this trait at the college level, he'll have yet another valuable skill. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT LOWER-BODY STRENGTH Davis is a rather raw prospect from a technique and physical standpoint. His long frame is lean, and he looks like he could add quite a bit of good weight. That lower- body strength would make him formi- dable when covering ground and give him an opportunity to make plays on the ball as a zone corner, or make up ground playing man coverage. Simply put, as an athlete, you can never be too explosive. CENTER OF GRAVITY With a high cen- ter of gravity, it's much harder to quickly change directions because that involves lowering your center and exploding through your toes. While Davis has the hips to change directions and the feet to stay with quick players, he will have to work on this ability to fully unlock his potential. POSITIONAL SKILLS There's no way of getting around it: Davis is a projection at the college level based on his 7lm. There are reasons to be encouraged and clear athletic skills that made him a tar- get for Franklin and his sta9, but there are also plenty of unknowns. This is where fans should trust the track record of the Penn State sta9 and its ability to place players in the right positions to be successful. POSITIONAL PROJECTION CORNERBACK The physical tools needed to become a quality defensive back are all there. The Nittany Lions have spent a considerable amount of time in this class recruiting ball hawks who can not only stay with receivers, but make plays with the ball in the air. Davis will be added to the list of players who can do that. It will be important to see how he grows physically. He's al- ready a long cornerback with a wingspan that can challenge taller re- ceivers. At 6-0, he's got the potential to develop into an intimidating presence on the outside. That growth potential could make him an all-around corner- back. FREE SAFETY Davis's ability to eat up ground and his potential to add muscle mass make him a good candidate to end up at free safety. His knack for tracking the deep ball will be very useful if he's going to be roaming the secondary, reading and reacting to the quarterback. It doesn't hurt that he comes preloaded with cornerback skills. ■ S C O U T I N G R E P O R T B Y T H O M A S F R A N K C A R R S T R E N G T H S A R E A S O F D E V E L O P M E N T P O S I T I O N A L P R O J E C T I O N

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