Tennessee Titans right guard Nate Davis is rightly receiving some love from CBS Sports on an all-under-25 team ahead of the 2021 campaign.
CBS Sports’ Jordan Dajani put together his own version consisting of just offensive players, and on it Davis makes the cut at right guard, along with fellow teammate, A.J. Brown, who has been a regular on these all-under-25 teams the past few years. Here’s Dajani’s write-up for Davis:
Davis was pushed into the starting lineup immediately as a third-round pick out of Charlotte in 2019, and he was a clear weak spot along the offensive line with a 30.1 PFF grade in Weeks 1-14. However, he really turned it up at the end of the year, and posted a 71.5 grade in Weeks 15 through the Titans’ magical postseason run to the AFC championship game. Davis has maintained that kind of level of consistency and posted an impressive AV of 10 in 2020, which was tied for fourth among all offensive guards. Davis has helped running back Derrick Henry lead the league in rushing for two straight years now, and also helped him become just the eighth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single season.
With all the talent and success the Titans have sported on offense the past few years, it’s easy to overlook Davis’ impressive development, so it’s nice to see someone recognizing the giant leap forward he has made.
As Dajani points out, Davis posted a putrid Pro Football Focus grade of 30.1 over the first 14 weeks of his rookie season in 2019, only to finish strong with a 71.5 from Week 15 through the playoffs.
Not only has Davis been one-fifth of a group upfront that paved the way for Derrick Henry’s two straight rushing titles and a 2,000-yard season in 2020, but he also improved his overall PFF grade from a 40.9 in 2019 to a 69.7 in his sophomore campaign, while also receiving one First-Team All-Pro vote.
Most importantly, Davis has made huge strides in pass protection, an area in which he struggled mightily during his rookie campaign.
Davis, who has emerged as a starting-caliber offensive lineman over his first two years, is now on a trajectory to be one of the best at his position in the NFL in the years to come.
