Los Angeles Rams 2018 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Corner Carlton Davis

The Los Angeles Rams may be looking for a solid cornerback to draft in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Look no further than Auburn corner Carlton Davis.

The Los Angeles Rams are going to need to go defensive in the 2018 NFL Draft. Los Angeles’ offense is already stacked with offense due to the teams focus on it in the 2017 offseason. Now, the tide should change to Wade Phillips’ unit.

Perhaps the biggest need for the Rams this season is at cornerback. Although the defense impressed many, the Rams’ secondary is easily the lightest part of the roster. Not to mention that number one corner Trumaine Johnson is a free agent, and following a franchise tag, may seek more money elsewhere.

Thus, cornerback is cemented as a priority in the offseason. Even if Johnson stays, the Rams have potential to create a deep secondary with the deep draft class ahead of them. With the 23rd overall pick, they may not get the best or second best corner in the draft, but they can still get a top-tier talent.

The Los Angeles Rams should start looking at Auburn cornerback Carlton Davis as a potential option with the 23rd overall selection.

Carlton Davis’ big board rankings, overall reviews:

Davis has been a very fast riser on many big boards throughout the 2018 NFL Draft community. His strong performance and progression at Auburn cemented him as a top five, top three in some eyes, cornerback in this year’s draft class.

Walter Football, who compiles yearly rankings on every single position in the draft class, has Davis as the third best corner in the 2018 NFL Draft. Charlie Campbell projects his 40-yard dash time to be 4.53 seconds. It is not the best speed amongst his peers, but he still is in that elite category.

Matt Miller of Bleacher Report shares the same sentiments as Walter Football. Miller has Davis as the fourth best corner in the 2018 NFL Draft, also giving him the title of “biggest riser”.

However, Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com does not have Davis within his top 50 prospects in the 2018 NFL Draft list. Instead, Jeremiah includes cornerbacks such as Denzel Ward, Joshua Jackson, Mike Hughes and Donte Jackson, to name a few.

Carlton Davis’ college performance:

Although his exclusion from Jeremiah’s list may be worrisome, Davis has the talent to be a top-tier cornerback in the NFL upon his arrival. Davis played all three seasons at Auburn and only got better in every season.

Although his interception total is low, four interceptions in three years and one in his junior year, he still deflected a combined 28 passes in three years included 10 pass deflections in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Davis made 136 total tackles in three years.

The lack of interceptions should not be concerning, though. Davis simply was not targeted often because proved to be an elite corner at the college level. Of course, he would make the occasional mistake as does every corner, but his size and speed combined for a hard formula for opposing teams to crack.

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Our consensus:

Although Davis may be a risky selection at 23rd overall, I believe it is a risk worth taking. First and foremost, his size and natural ability will at least carry him to be decent early on. With the right coaching, he could progress into something special.

However, that is the floor for Davis’ production. In college he showed the ability not only to line up off coverage in zone looks, he was one of the few college corners that could man up at the line of scrimmage and do so with success.

Zac Blackerby of The Drafster compared Davis to Vontae Davis, who is the top cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts. Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler with 22 career interceptions. While he may not be an elite level corner, I would say that is a pretty good honor to be compared to someone like Davis.

Next: How the Rams can make it to Super Bowl LIII

Overall, there are going to be multiple cornerback options available for the Los Angeles Rams with the 23rd overall selection. It is important that the Rams gauge each corner fairly, included what could be a shocking pick of Carlton Davis.