49ers big board for 2020 NFL Draft: Bowl games edition
Pros:
- Great range, can go sideline to sideline
- Has enough versatility to be used at nickel corner
- Is good in zone coverage, but can play man coverage in the slot
- Physicality is without question
- Can make plays on the football
Cons:
- Has questionable tackling techniques that need adjusting for the pro level
- Not great in run support
- When playing in the box, can be blocked easier than teams would like to see
The 49ers have a conundrum at safety, where they have two talented starters in Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmie Ward who are also unfortunately injury prone.
San Francisco may choose to add to its secondary early in the draft, and the local prospect in Ashtyn Davis may injure them.
Davis is an athletic and physical safety who fits well in zone coverage. He has the ability to make plays on the ball, and his athleticism helps him when offenses try to target him.
He also has the advantage of versatility, as he has played nickel corner at Cal. The 49ers are not weak at nickel corner, but the versatility would give Davis a Ward-like ability to be a player who can fill different roles and positions.
For Davis, what stops him from being a first-round prospect is his tackling. Too often he showcases poor technique where he gets down too quickly and takes his eyes off the ball carrier. This enables his tackles to be easily broken.
Davis also can be a liability in run support. He isn’t a good asset stacking the box as he has an inability to shed blocks, and while his athleticism can allow him to catch runners the aforementioned tackling issues make it hard for him to stop the run.
Davis will need to work on these aspects of the game before he can be a true starter.
Draft range: First/second round
This is where the possible first-round selections start to come into play. Davis is likely to be selected in the second round due to his liabilities, but if he can have a strong pre-draft process, the relative weakness of the safety position in the draft could see him sneak into the first round.
We saw something similar last year, where Darnell Savage became a Thursday night selection after a strong combine.