J.C. Davis, OT, Illinois
Size:
Height: 6’5” | Weight: 322 pounds
Accomplishments:
Senior Bowl Invitee (2024) • Third-Team All-Big Ten (2024) • First-Team All-Mountain West (2023) • All-Mountain West Honorable Mention (2022)
“J.C. Davis is a downhill, heavy, and powerful lineman with starting upside.”
Strengths:
Good shape as a downhill blocker
Aggressive demeanor
Good with his hands
Concerns:
Compact body; doesn’t have much functional length
Lacks some quick twitch and explosiveness
Struggles to win angles on the backside of run plays
Film Analysis:
J.C. Davis started his career at Contra Costa College where he was recruited to New Mexico and started 24 games for the Lobos. Having two years of success at the G5 level, Davis transferred to Illinois and put together a strong, promising season for the Fighting Illini. Davis manned down blindside tackle duties for all 12 regular season games, but projects best at guard. Davis is another good-value name to add to an already deep class of effective offensive linemen.
Davis stands as another promising name in an already deep class of effective offensive linemen. With a compact, somewhat stubby frame that weighs over 320 pounds, he offers a unique combination of solid mass and decent movement ability. In the run game, I was impressed by the shape he maintained in his blocks. His excellent knee drive, low hat, strong base, and aggressive hands allowed Davis to take control of defenders, effectively neutralizing their attempts to shed his blocks and making significant contributions to the ground game.
When it comes to pass protection, it’s hard to overlook Davis’ baseline of capabilities. He gets out of his stance quickly and sets up against speed rushers efficiently, starting with a well-timed punch and aggressive demeanor. He possesses a natural anchor that keeps him grounded, but he also knows how to play light on his feet, enabling him to maneuver when needed. The combination of his mass and power is a promising attribute that should transition well to the next level.
However, what keeps Davis from entering the day-two conversation for me boils down to his athletic profile. There’s room for improvement in his ability to quickly establish angles and outpace defenders off the line. He’s not a bad athlete by any means, but to make his mark at the next level, he’ll need to win that first meaningful point of contact consistently. To do this, finding ways to enhance his full-body flexibility, reactionary athleticism, and first-step effectiveness will be crucial in marrying the finesse of his game with the power he already possesses.
Davis is a mid-round, high-floor guard who has climbed the college ranks, and projects as a long-term rosterable lineman with starter capabilities.
Prospect Projection: Day 3 — Developmental Traits
Exposures: Penn State (2024), Michigan (2024), Purdue (2024), Oregon (2024), Rutgers (2024)