Ravens DL Carl Davis ready for second year breakout?

Is Baltimore Ravens second-year defensive lineman Carl Davis ready for a breakout? The former Iowa Hawkeye had a rocky rookie season…

Carl Davis was a man among boys in his final years with the Iowa Hawkeyes, but upon entering the NFL, he learned how quickly you can be humbled. Drafted in the third round by the Baltimore Ravens, Davis was a steal in yet another strong class by Ozzie Newsome and his staff in the front office.

Davis was truly dominant at times in his years with the Hawkeyes, and had the look of a possible first round pick in a few games.

The 6-5, 320 pound mammoth on the interior looked to be a perfect fit for Baltimore’s base 3-4 defense, and after a stellar preseason, he started three games at the beginning of the year. Struggling with inconsistency as many rookies do, Davis’ playing time decreased over the course of the year and he went from starter to a healthy gameday scratch.

The Ravens obviously think highly of Davis, but after it appeared he was going to take Baltimore by storm as a rookie, the expectations were tempered.

Despite the rocky rookie year, the potential is still incredibly high for Davis despite being a third round pick, and the Ravens happen to have an opening at one of the defensive end spots opposite Timmy Jernigan. There will be competition from Lawrence Guy and third round pick Bronson Kaufusi, but Davis has to be considered the favorite in my opinion. Here’s why…

Davis is a unique blend of size and quickness. He carries his 6-5 320 pound frame incredibly well, and if he keeps his pad level low, he can be absolutely dominant with his length and upper body strength.

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In addition to his quickness off the ball, Davis is a finisher in the backfield capable of affecting pass plays either with his bull rush or getting a hand on the ball to bat it down in the passing lane.

Getting to learn from guys like Brandon Williams, who is also still a young player, Davis is getting to see that consistency is the key in the NFL. The physical tools are certainly there. The desire to get better is certainly there. Whether or not he can keep a consistently high level of play along with all of those intangibles remains to be seen.

I think Davis could be in line for a big season number two in Baltimore, and be a major contributor on the reload that is happening defensively for this storied franchise.

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