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Raekwon Davis

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Raekwon Davis
refer to caption
Davis with Alabama in 2019
No. 98 – Indianapolis Colts
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1997-06-10) June 10, 1997 (age 27)
Meridian, Mississippi, U.S.
Height:6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight:325 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High school:Meridian
(Meridian, Mississippi)
College:Alabama (2016–2019)
NFL draft:2020 / round: 2 / pick: 56
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles:129
Sacks:2.0
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Raekwon Davis (Pronounced: RAY-kwon) (born June 10, 1997) is an American professional football defensive tackle[1] for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He is under contract through the end of the 2025 NFL season in a two-year deal paying him $14 million, of which $7 million is guaranteed.

Davis was drafted in 2020 by the Miami Dolphins, for whom he played out his 4-year rookie contract. He previously played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, winning a national title in January 2018.

Early years

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Raekwon Davis was born June 10, 1997, in Meridian, Mississippi.[2]

He attended Meridian High School where he played football as a defensive lineman.[2] He was not a high school superstar, logging just 10 tackles in 2013, his sophomore year.[3] Despite the relative lack of production and his lack of finished technique, the raw Davis made an attractive prospect for college football owing to his oversized frame,[3] standing 6'7" tall and tipping the scales at nearly 310 pounds even before graduation.[4]

Major football programs around the region were intrigued. The first to offer the three-star prospect a scholarship was the Alabama Crimson Tide, who issued a formal offer in June 2014.[4] Mississippi State and the University of South Carolina were quick to follow, as did Ole Miss — who sought to convert Davis to offensive tackle.[4]

At the end of July, Davis made his decision, committing to the program that had offered him first, the University of Alabama.[4]

Davis' junior season proved more successful. The big defensive tackle finished with 31 tackles and 6 sacks in helping to lead the Wildcats to a 7–5 record in 2014.[5] Four of the team's 5 losses were by just 4 points or less, leading to a 2015 preseason No. 3 Mississippi state ranking by the Jackson Clarion-Ledger.[5]

College career

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Davis saw action in four games as true freshman at the University of Alabama in 2016.[6] His output was tangential to the team's success, adding just four tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble for the year.[6]

The Crimson Tide would finish the season with a record of 14–0 before losing to the Clemson Tigers 35–31 in the College Football Playoff National Championship held in January 2017.

Late in the summer of his 2017 sophomore year, Davis was shot in the right leg and hospitalized with a minor injury.[7] According to the Tuscaloosa News, Davis had been standing outside a bar in the early morning hours on Sunday, August 27, when he was hit in the leg by a stray bullet, requiring hospital attention.[7] Due to Davis' lack of cooperation with law enforcement officials, police investigation of the incident was quickly cancelled.[7]

Less than a week Later on September 2, Davis played in the Alabama opening game against the Florida State Seminoles, and recorded a sack.[8] The 2017 would be his best statistical year at Alabama, with Davis racking up 8.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 13 games played for the Crimson Tide.[6]

The Crimson Tide would once again advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2018, this time emerging triumphant in overtime over the Georgia Bulldogs, 26–23. Davis snagged a crucial third quarter interception off a tipped pass from Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm in the comeback victory.

During his junior season, Davis received notoriety for punching Missouri Tigers lineman Kevin Pendleton during a game.[9] Although multiple blows were landed, all captured on video, and a penalty flag was thrown, Davis was not ejected from the game.[9] He issued an apology to Pendleton later in the night after conclusion of the game.[9]

Again Alabama mowed down the competition, finishing the season with a record of 14–0 and advancing to the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2019. This time hard defeat would come, with Alabama demolished by Clemson, 44–16. Despite the bitterness of the loss, there would be a personal accolade for Davis, as he was named a second team All-American at defensive tackle.[10]

Despite speculation that he would declare for the 2019 NFL draft, Davis announced that he would return to Alabama for his senior season.[11] During this 2019 senior season, Davis appeared in 12 games, logging 18 solo tackles, 29 assists, and splitting one quarterback sack with a teammate.[6]

Professional career

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Timing is everything in professional athletics and Raekwon Davis' decision not to enter the 2019 NFL draft proved costly. A perceived decline in production in his senior year caused the probable first day selection to slip to Day 2 in 2020.[12]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 6 1⁄8 in
(1.98 m) 		311 lb
(141 kg) 		33 7⁄8 in
(0.86 m) 		11 in
(0.28 m)		 5.12 s 1.78 s 2.99 s 4.86 s 7.95 s 28.0 in
(0.71 m)		 9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)		 24 reps
All values from NFL Combine[13][14]

Miami Dolphins

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Davis was selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins, who made him the 56th pick overall.[15] He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on August 6, 2020,[16] and activated two days later.[17]

Davis played all 16 games for the Dolphins during his rookie season of 2020, finishing the year with 40 tackles. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[18]

On September 14, 2021, Davis was placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in Week 1.[19] He was activated on October 9, 2021.

During his four years playing with the Dolphins under his rookie contract, Davis saw action in 63 of a possible 66 games, starting 48 times.[2] He saw a great deal of game action, averaging more than 500 snaps per season, but most of his work was done at the line of scrimmage, with just 2 sacks, 10 quarterback hits, and 5 tackles for loss made over that duration.[20]

Indianapolis Colts

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On March 15, 2024, the free agent Davis signed a two-year contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[21] The deal is set to pay Davis $14 million over its duration, with $7 million of that figure guaranteed.[22]

The Colts are expected to use Davis as a rotational reserve with starting defensive tackles Grover Stewart and DeForest Buckner in 2024, a role which Davis was quick to embrace.[22] "Playing with Buckner and Grove, I feel like it’s a great fit for me," Davis said at the time of his signing. "Since coming out of 'Bama, I’ve been playing the same technique, two-gapping [single-handedly taking on two blockers], and to experience a different technique, being with those two guys, is going to be great."[22]

Under defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and defensive line coach Charlie Partridge, the Colts have typically played an "attack front" — moving interior defensive linemen upfield rather than sitting at the line of scrimmage to eat blocks in order to allow teammates on the second level to move up to make plays on the ball-carrier.[22] In signing Davis, the Colts effectively gambled on his ability to make a transition to the new scheme.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2020 MIA 16 12 48 19 21 0.0 1 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
2021 MIA 14 14 28 12 16 0.5 1 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
2022 MIA 16 15 33 13 20 1.0 1 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
2023 MIA 17 7 28 15 13 0.5 2 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
Career 63 48 129 59 70 2.0 5 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2022 MIA 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
2023 MIA 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 — — — — — 0 0 0 0
Career 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Raekwon Davis (DT): Bio, News, Stats & more". www.miamidolphins.com. Retrieved April 19, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "Raekwon Davis," Pro Football Reference, www.pro-football-reference.com
  3. ^ a b Riley Blevins, "Prospect Watch," Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Sept. 5, 2014, p. C1.
  4. ^ a b c d "Alabama Lands Meridian Prospect," Jackson [MS] Clarion-Ledger, Aug. 12, 2014, p. C2.
  5. ^ a b "Super 10: No. 3 Meridian, 7–5 in 2014," Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Aug. 13, 2015, p. D1.
  6. ^ a b c d "Raekwon Davis," Sports Reference College Football, www.sports-reference.com/
  7. ^ a b c Khadrice Rollins, "Report: Alabama Defensive Lineman Shot in Leg," Sports Illustrated, Aug. 27, 2017.
  8. ^ Alex Kirshner, "Raekwon Davis Got a ack for Alabama, Days After Suffering Gunshot Wound," SB Nation, September 2, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Nick Bromberg, "Alabama DL Raekwon Davis Apologizes for Punching Missouri OL Kevin Pendleton," Yahoo Sports, October 14, 2018.
  10. ^ Miami Dolphins Media Guide 2023, Miami, FL: Miami Dolphins, 2023; p. 133.
  11. ^ Tyler Conway, "DL Raekwon Davis to Forgo 2019 NFL Draft, Return to Alabama for Senior Season," January 17, 2019.
  12. ^ Adam H. Beasley, "," Miami Herald, April 25, 2020, pp. A7, A9.
  13. ^ "Raekwon Davis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  14. ^ "2020 Draft Scout Raekwon Davis, Alabama NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Josh Alper, "Dolphins Add Raekwon Davis to Their Draft Haul," NBC Sports, April 24, 2020.
  16. ^ "Dolphins Make Roster Moves". MiamiDolphins.com. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  17. ^ "Dolphins Sign Ricardo Louis, Activate Others". MiamiDolphins.com. August 8, 2020. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  18. ^ "2020 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Myles Simmons, "Dolphins Place Raekwon Davis on Injured Reserve," NBC Sports: Pro Football Talk, September 14, 2021.
  20. ^ Joel A. Erickson, "Colts Sign First Outside Free Agent; Meet Raekwon Davis," The Indianapolis Star, March 12, 2024.
  21. ^ J.J. Stankevitz, "Colts Sign DT Raekwon Davis," Colts.com, March 15, 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d Joel A. Erickson, "Colts Think New DT Raekwon Davis Can Do More Than the Dolphins Asked," Indianapolis Star, March 15, 2024.
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