2015 NFL Draft: Iowa DT Carl Davis is the Real Deal

Sep 6, 2014; Iowa City, IA, USA;Iowa Hawkeyes linebacker Quinton Alston (52) and defensive lineman Carl Davis (71) celebrate a fourth quarter stop against the Ball State Cardinals at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa defeated Ball State 17-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports

On a weekly basis, 2015 NFL Draft prospect and Iowa Hawkeyes defensive tackle Carl Davis is consistently one of the hardest interior defensive linemen to block. That hasn’t happened by accident, and Davis has applied himself over the last five years as a Hawkeye and worked his way into the discussion as arguably the top senior defensive tackle in the entire country in 2014.

At 6’5″ 315 pounds, Davis is an incredibly well-built player for his position. His weight is distributed really well, and his upper body strength is phenomenal. The best part about Davis’ game in my opinion is the way he gets off the ball and uses his hands violently to disengage from offensive linemen and make plays in the backfield.

So far this season, he’s already matched his 13 game totals from 2013 with 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack, and is currently sitting with 20 total tackles. For opposing teams, running at Davis has been uneventful this season. While teams have had success running on Iowa off tackle and longer stretch plays, running up the middle has had sparse success when Davis is in the game.

As I previously mentioned, this is one of the toughest players in the country to move out of the way. Not only that, but Davis is athletic and has great length, making him nearly impossible to take out of the play unless he is double-teamed. Guards and centers can’t really handle his combination of size, quickness, and strength, which leads me to believe that a strong second half of the season and some more national exposure for the Hawkeyes program could generate some legitimate first round hype for this young man.

If you just look at his cumulative stats, it won’t tell the entire story of just how much this guy impacts the game. I think he is scheme versatile, and I think no matter where he lines up he’s going to play well and command attention.

He’s far from a perfect product, however. Davis’ height sometimes leaves him playing too high, but that is something that can be corrected with repetition and coaching. He’s still a young athlete with huge potential, and he’s shown a willingness to work both on and off the field in his time at Iowa that indicates to me he’ll be one of the more coachable prospects in the 2015 draft.

This is a player that I’ve watched really closely throughout his career. He’s a beast on the interior defensive line, and if it were up to me as a general manager, I would think long and hard about picking him in the first round. If he falls to the second round, I think you’re looking at one of the best values in the draft.