Jamin Davis pulls on his No. 50 Pittsburgh Steelers jersey with the term "former first-round draft pick" attached to his name.
Typically, for a player of the sort landing in a new place, that tag means two things: that player has obvious talent, but there's a reason it didn't work out for them with the team that selected them.
Davis, who was taken with the No. 19 overall pick of 2021 NFL Draft, has posted standout testing numbers in the past. He has the size professional teams look for. He's on the right side of 30 and even has a 100-tackle season under his belt, along with experience playing under new Steelers defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, albeit a short stint.
That all being said, it's not much of a surprise that Mike McCarthy's Steelers added him as depth piece behind Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson .
Davis began his career in Washington , but after Dan Quinn took over as head coach before his fourth season with the team, moving him from inside linebacker to defensive end, things didn't work out. Quinn hoped that Davis' physical abilities would help him transition — and he showed flashes — but he wound up not making it through that campaign. He was released at playing in five regular-season games.
The good thing for Davis, however, is he has a chance to impress the Steelers' coaches and earn a role as a reserve. There might be a bit of pressure that comes with the opportunity — this is the sixth NFL team he's spending time with, and shots at a roster spot aren't unlimited.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jamin Davis takes part in an OTA practice. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Acquired:The Steelers signed Davis to a one-year deal after he took part in the team's minicamp on a tryout basis.
Last season:Davis signed with the Las Vegas Raiders ' practice squad last October and was promoted to their active roster just over a month later. He played in two games with the team, notching three combined tackles on 13 defensive snaps during a 33-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 11. He played just three defensive snaps in a Week 18 win over the Kansas City Chiefs .
Career:Davis notched 269 tackles over his first three seasons in Washington, but Dan Quinn tried to morph him into an edge rusher after taking over as head coach. The position switch didn't suit him, and he had stops with the Green Bay Packers , Minnesota Vikings and New York Jets before briefly playing for then-Las Vegas Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham in Sin City.
| Year |
Team |
Games Played |
Tackles |
Sacks |
Tackles For Loss |
| 2021 |
16 |
76 |
1.0 |
3 |
|
| 2022 |
Washington Commanders |
16 |
104 |
3.0 |
9 |
| 2023 |
Washington Commanders |
13 |
89 |
3.0 |
8 |
| 2024 |
Washington Commanders/Minnesota Vikings |
9 |
18 |
1.0 |
2 |
| 2025 |
Las Vegas Raiders |
2 |
3 |
0.0 |
0 |
Jamin Davis arrived in Lexington as a three-star recruit, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He chose the Wildcats over NC State, Purdue and UCF, among others.
Davis played in every game for Mark Stoops' team over his redshirt freshman and sophomore campaigns, registering 42 tackles, a sack and two interceptions.
Davis broke out as a junior and was tabbed as an All-SEC first-teamer by Pro Football Focus in 2020, after notching a team-best 102 stops and four tackles for loss. He also pulled down three interceptions, making him the only FBS player that season with at least 100 takedowns and three picks.
| Year |
School |
Games Played |
Tackles |
Sacks |
Tackles For Loss |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 |
Kentucky |
12 |
10 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
| 2019 |
Kentucky |
13 |
32 |
1.0 |
1.0 |
| 2020 |
Kentucky |
10 |
102 |
1.5 |
4.0 |
NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared Davis to Kiko Alonso during the pre-draft process. He was measured at just over 6-foot-3 and 234 pounds, with a 33-inch arm length. At his pro day, he impressed with a 42-inch vertical jump and registered unofficial 40-yard dash times of 4.41 and 4.37 seconds.
Davis was tabbed with a 9.94 Relative Athletic Score , ranking 15th out 2,155 linebackers from 1987 to 2021.
The Steelers are paying Davis $1.2 million for this season. That comes with a $1,075,000 cap hit.
Jamin Davis wore No. 44 in college because his grandmother died at age 44.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Former First-Round Pick Jamin Davis Trying to Create Spot with Steelers
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