James Davis, RB, Clemson

Name: James Davis
Position: RB
School: Clemson
Height: 5104 E
Weight: 218 E
40 Time: 4.60 E

Athleticism: 6.0
Because Davis is not CJ Spiller, it is easy to think he is slow or unathletic, but I don’t believe that is the case. While he lacks eye-popping athleticism, he has a decent bit of speed (can challenge the corner occasionally) with good balance and change of direction. There is nothing eye-popping and he certainly isn’t LeSean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, or Beanie Wells, but he has enough athleticism to succeed in the NFL.
Quickness: 6.0
Balance: 6.0
Fluidity: 6.0

Physical Talents: 6.0
Davis gave me a bit of trouble when attempting to give him a grade here. There might be some disagreement over his body type, but I personally like my backs short and stocky (the only thing he could do better would be to add some upper-body weight, as 5’10 225 is my ideal), so a 6.5 seems fair. Davis has enough strength to run inside at a high level, and he has enough burst to hit the hole, but both grades may be closer to 6.0 than 6.5 and 5.5, respectively.
Body Type: 6.5
Strength: 6.5
Explosion: 5.5

Polish: 6.5
It doesn’t require a rocket scientist to understand technique at the halfback position, but Davis has an above-average understanding of blocking, body lean, and interior running. He could improve his pad level on outside runs, but it isn’t bad. He does a good job finding the hole and rarely makes a bad read when running inside.
Understands Playbook: 6.5
Proper Technique: 6.5
Instincts: 6.5

Competitiveness: 6.5
I saw nothing really extraordinary about Davis. He was very consistent and earns a high grade here, and clearly enjoys the physical aspect of the game, but overall he did not do anything out of the ordinary (good or bad) to stand out.
Toughness: 6.5
Consistency: 7.0
Clutch Play: 6.0
Effort: 6.5

Football Character: 6.0 Can’t find anything to distinguish him, looks solid.
Personal Character: 6.5 Squeaky clean reputation.
Durability: 6.5 Has taken a lot of hits over the years and has remained relatively healthy.

Run Instincts: 6.5 Does a good job finding the hole and getting through it.
Tackle-Breaking: 6.0 While Davis has good strength and sheds arm tackles easily, he does not truly play as powerful as his “thunder” nickname implies.
Cutback Ability: 6.0 Davis has good vision and sees the hole well, with enough burst to make cuts when needed.
Inside Running: 6.0 Does a good job finding his hole and getting through it, but lacks the strength or wiggle to make astonishing plays.
Outside Running: 5.5 While Davis can run outside well enough at the college level, he lacks the elite speed to beat defenders and is not especially dangerous in the open field.
Receiving Skills: 6.0 While Davis is a body-catcher, he does do a decent job looking the ball in and has enough burst to get a few yards.
Run After Catch: 6.0 Nothing special, but can pick up first downs.
Open-Field: 5.5 He lacks the elite speed you’d like to see, but he does have enough COD to work angles and is tough enough to get yardage after contact.
Pass Blocker: 6.0 Does a good job here, I read concerns about his blocking but more than once he took on DEs and bought enough time for his QB to make a dumb mistake.
Fumble/Errors: 6.5 No fumble problems here, overall a smart player.

Summary: James Davis is BORING. That’s both a good and a bad thing. There is really nothing remarkable about him. Good size, average speed, good instincts, decent 3^rd down value, good character. The only thing he is deficient in is, well, excitement. You don’t oow and aww watching him run, but he does a good job at most aspects of the game – doesn’t offer a lot on tosses, but you can run them with him if you have good blocking. While Davis is the kind of back that is easy to find (reminds me of Tashard Choice), there is value in what he brings to the table and he would be a great choice if Seattle does not address running back earlier, but is not the kind of back you select before the 4^th or 5^th round.

Final Grade: 5.8

Note: There is a high probability that I will watch more Clemson games in the future, and for that reason I reserve the right to change this grade up until the 2009 NFL Draft.

Games Scouted: Virginia, Nebraska, Alabama