'Crazy' 24 hours has new LB Jarrad Davis thankful to be a Detroit Lion
Davis is expected to start at middle or weakside linebacker for the Lions this fall
The standing-room-only crowd at Jarrad Davis’ draft party inside The Pub at the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island grew silent when Davis’ phone rang late Thursday night.
Every TV inside the bar was tuned to the first round of NFL draft, and as Davis started talking to whoever was on the other end of the line, his friends and family watched him and the screens mounted on the wall with anticipation.
According to the telecast of the draft, the Denver Broncos were still on the clock when Davis was on the phone, and when their pick finally flashed across the screen — Utah offensive tackle Garett Boles — the congregation around Davis’ tight-knit group of supporters seemed taken aback by the news.
“Everybody was anticipating his name being called for the Denver Broncos,” said Cedric Corse, Davis’ linebackers coach at Camden County High in Kingsland, Ga. “And when they (announced the) pick then everybody in the room said, ‘Aaah.’”
Moments later, somebody from the middle of the crowd said to, ‘Get the Lions hat,’ and the place erupted in celebration.
Davis, the 21st overall pick of the first round, completed a whirlwind 24 hours today when he flew to Detroit for an introductory news conference with his mother, Amy, and his father, John.
Davis posed for pictures with Lions general manager Bob Quinn, coach Jim Caldwell and president Rod Wood, then another set with his parents by his side.
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When his mom stepped off the riser as the news conference was about to begin, she appeared to be holding back tears of joy in her eyes.
“I’m just thrilled to be here, thrilled to be a Lion,” Davis said. “You couldn’t have told me I was going to be here. You couldn’t have convinced me, but either way I’m extremely thrilled. These past 24 hours have been crazy, trying to keep myself busy and then when the draft rolls around, just being with my family. To have my mom and dad here today, just to share this experience with me, it’s all about family at this point and without family, without the supporting cast that I had growing up as a kid, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am right now.”
Davis said he spent draft day trying to stay busy to keep his mind off what lay ahead.
He woke up, kissed his mother and grandparents, phoned his father and went to the barbershop with some friends. After that, he went to St. Johns Towncenter, an open-air mall in Jacksonville, trying to work off some energy.
At the hotel, Davis ate an early dinner and hung out by the pool before his draft party got under way, and when it wrapped, he celebrated by running through a tunnel of cheering supporters waving glow sticks.
“Everybody who put in any amount of effort to kind of mold me to the young man I am today, I wanted to celebrate that moment for me, but also for them to just show exactly what they did for me and how precious that was to me,” Davis said. “A lot of kids don’t have people that take the time out of their day to come in and make sure that they’re doing the homework or make sure that they’re doing the right things with their friends or make sure that they’re doing the right things within the community that they play in. And I’ve had a lot of people in my life just reach out and help me in numerous ways. And it’s paid off. It’s paid extreme dividends.”
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Davis said the Lions haven’t given him any indication yet of where or how they plan to use him this fall.
At 6 feet 1 and 238 pounds, he has ideal measurables to play weak-side or middle linebacker in the NFL. Both his 40-yard dash (about 4.6 seconds) and vertical jump (38.5 inches) ranked among the best in this year’s class of linebacker prospects, and he fills a huge need on a Lions team that got poor play from its linebacker unit overall last year.
Beyond the physical traits, Lions coach Jim Caldwell said Davis has all the intangibles the Lions want in their players.
“He’s been a guy that’s been a communicator, a great leader of his team, works extremely hard,” Caldwell said. “His work ethic I think is certainly one that you’ll certainly see how it operates and see how he operates within that realm. He’s a studious individual, really trying to perfect his craft at all times, and he plays that way and it shows.”
A two-year starter at Florida, Davis joins Tahir Whitehead, free-agent addition Paul Worrilow and last year’s fifth-round pick, Antwione Williams, at the head of the Lions’ linebacking corps.
He said he didn’t know much about the Lions before the draft — he grew up a Dallas Cowboys fan — but couldn’t be happier with what he’s seen from his new organization so far.
“I’m really just coming in with an open mentality,” Davis said. “Just, I’m going to come in and help the Detroit Lions in any way possible. However they want to use me, I’m here. I’m disposable for them.”
Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!