Washington first-round pick Jamin Davis had his first NFL training camp practice on Wednesday. The rookie linebacker lined up with Washington’s first-team defense and, by all accounts, had a good day.
After practice, head coach Ron Rivera spoke to the media and singled out Davis.
“Jamin stood out right away,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “And again, he’s one of the guys that we’re counting on to be able to handle these situations and circumstances.”
Coaches have said they want to try Davis at all three linebacker positions, but the long-term plan is for him to be the middle linebacker. On Wednesday, he played the “mike” and apparently handled the position well.
The biggest key for young players is retention. And Davis impressed Rivera in that aspect.
While coaches love Davis’ versatility, it’s in the team’s best interest for him to succeed at middle linebacker. An athletic “mike” backer is essential for today’s pass-happy NFL.
Lining up alongside Davis was Cole Holcomb at “Sam” linebacker and former middle linebacker Jon Bostic at “Will” linebacker.
It will be interesting to follow Davis and his progress this summer.
