Jesse Davis Given Starting Nod… But Far More To Come

Without a doubt, Jesse Davis will far outpace his 2017 PFF Grade of # in 2018

Phinsnews sees Jesse Davis being the best Phins Right Guard in a generation… or more!

Jesse Davis is ranked 63rd of 77 Guards by PFF… so he sucks hard, right?! 

WRONG!…

…and more than that, expect Davis to rise on every ‘expert’s’ list as this season progresses.

Hindsight is always 20/20… so get ahead of the curve

Phinsnews said Davis would be a starter before ANYONE out there. We were ribbed quite hard for it by some. So we’ll go out on a limb again (we’re dumb like that): Davis will be the best Right Gaurd that the Phins have had in a generation or more.

Now that’s not saying a ton, is it? Right Guard has been a broken down turnstile in South Florida for ages. NO, Davis isn’t a bet to be the next Larry Little with any pay per head services. But, Davis will solidify the position, earn his extension, and be a fixture in Miami for several years… barring injury, of course.

Let’s quickly review Miami’s Right Guards over the last decade plus:

Rex Hadnot 6’2” 325, Donald Thomas 6’4” 305, John Jerry 6’5” 335, Dallas Thomas 6’5” 316, Jermon Bushrod 6’5” 318. Nothing outstanding, though Jerry is having a solid career.

Davis, 6’6” 321, is the most physically imposing RG since John Jerry… but he has the speed and agility Jerry lacked.

Don’t sleep on Davis’ power / movement combo… by luck or insight, Miami reeled in a steal.

After the recent minicamp, Dowell Loggains said the player “who has made the biggest improvement Week 1 to 2” is right guard Jesse Davis. “First week, he got beat on his hands a couple times,” Loggains said. “I have seen a jump in his performance.”

‘His hand play’ is something we talked about last season:

Back in November, we said, “The biggest correct he needs to make is his tendency to let his hand ride too long on the defender. This leaves him open to the ‘grab and pull’. He also was caught leaning into his blocks a few times too many.”

This flaw though is very correctable… and if it’s fixed, a large portion of Davis’ weaknesses will disappear with it. His semi slow kick step was also exposed as a tackle. But that flaw won’t matter at Guard because he won’t be defending a huge chunk of open real estate like at Tackle.

Mark it down: Davis will make a sizable leap in the quality of his play in 2018

Last season, Davis did show one glaring flaw in his game: inside protection… especially against the swim move. This issue does involve his hand fighting technique, but it’s also a product of him being so tall. Davis will suffer leverage issues quite often due to his height, and squat DT’s will be his kryptonite… until he corrects his technique. While his strength and length are great equalizers, his technique must improve to limit this weakness. According to Dowell, Davis is indeed improving in this area… and that’s great news for Phins Fans.

The Clips below are from Weeks 16 and 17 against the Chiefs and Bills

At times, Davis was susceptible to an inside attack in the run and pass…

…but he won more than he lost. And a big positive for Davis is that he was often left to block alone in passing situations as help from the Center quite often went to the Left Guard. This isn’t the normal protocol. Usually, the Left Guard is the much better pass blocker and is expected mostly to handle his responsibilities on his own. With Josh Sitton on board, his elite pass protection will allow help to go right.

Most of Drake’s big runs were sprung off of Davis’ blocks

Davis has elite size and strength and an excellent motor. He still needs to refine his game and on occasion misses angles and could drive his defender more. But Davis was in transition from Tackle to Guard in 2017. This year he’s been given a single position to master. With an offseason and camp to prepare, expect a big leap in his technique and fundamentals.

Davis is excellent at chipping and getting to the next level. Usually, a man that big isn’t nearly as fluid. He possesses decent speed, but excellent agility.

Whether to the short or long side, Davis has the speed to pull and operate in space. While not an elite talent, he’s well rounded and this makes him harder to prepare for. Too bad the blockers around him broke down more than not.

The boost in talent on the O-Line will help Davis shine

Daniel Kilgore was ranked 19th in run blocking. While this isn’t close to elite, the difference in driving power between Pouncey and Kilgore is massive. The benefits of Davis and Kilgore working together will be very plain to see in 2018. Blocking on the Inside Zone and Outside Zone run schemes will be far more consistent.

We’ve run this tape on Pouncey many times, I know. But all this talk from some about the loss of Pouncey being devastating is ridiculous. While there’s no doubt Pouncey can still play, he isn’t the same player as before the injuries. Quality D-Lines and coaches now force Pouncey to deal with power… and, more often than not, he’s beaten like a drum. Kilgore isn’t the pass blocker that Pouncey is, but he, like Davis, is far more well rounded. Defenses will need to be more than a one trick pony when dealing with the Phins Center.

The interior O-Line and right side should offer the best run blocking we’ve seen in quite some time. I expect Davis to be front and center in the gameplan of the run game. I can easily see him creep into the Top 50 Guards in the NFL and then make another leap in 2019. You might say ‘creeping into the Top 50 isn’t good’. Well, if the best Guard on a team is more often than not the Left Guard, then Davis reaching Top 50, say 45-50, means he’ll be better than half the RGs in the league in his first year as a starter. Not bad for a cheap Free Agent… and better than the Dolphins have seen in long, long time. Go Phins!!!