Tyeler Davison to the New Orleans Saints: Full Draft-Pick Breakdown

The New Orleans Saints went defense with six of their nine selections in the NFL draft, but Fresno State’s Tyeler Davison was lone defensive lineman of the bunch.

A 6’2,” 316-pound defensive tackle, Davison was projected to go in the third or fourth round by numerous draft analysts. He fell to New Orleans in Round 5, and the Saints snatched him off the board with the No. 154 pick.

The former Bulldog standout is a powerfully built athlete with impressive strength and quickness. His addition to the Saints defensive line should immediately provide the unit with depth, and, with time, perhaps more.

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An All-Mountain West selection in 2014, Davison put up 40 tackles or more for three straight seasons, operating primarily from the nose guard spot. He posted eight sacks last season, while racking up 13 tackles for loss.

Over the course of the past three seasons, he started in every game, thereby making a strong statement to scouts regarding his durability.

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As far as his physical traits, Davison doesn’t fail to impress. He has long arms (34") and huge hands (10.75”). He also has the strength to match his frame. At the combine, he put up 32 repetitions on the bench press, and he shows impressive in-game strength as well.

Davison’s game film reveals an extremely physical player who appears to relish one-on-one competition. He can shake loose from offensive linemen with his powerful upper body, and, often times, he can be immovable at the point of attack.

As a pass-rusher, Davison has lots of potential. He’s quick off the line and uses his hands well. When lined up against centers in one-on-one situations, he can quickly overwhelm them. He also has a variety of moves, all of which he regularly uses throughout the course of a game.

The overriding question is, how did he fall to the fifth round?

To begin with, he isn’t consistent with his technique. He has a tendency to stand up and hand-fight with blockers, and this proved problematic for him when facing above-average competition.  

In addition, he doesn’t use his quickness enough. He’s an undeniably quick athlete, but he tries to overpower blockers a bit too often.

Another reason for his fall could be attributed to his supposed scheme limitations. While he has good size for a defensive tackle, some scouts and analysts believe he’s a little on the small side for a pure nose guard in the NFL. Of course, his long arms could serve to offset his lack of height, and he’s still bigger than current Saints starter Brodrick Bunkley.

In New Orleans, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan may give Davison every opportunity to prove he can play the nose. After all, he does an excellent job handling double-teams. With his overwhelming strength, the Saints may very well try him out in the middle, provided he puts on just a little more weight.

The fact that the Saints' defensive front often varies its alignments suggests that Davison will eventually find a home on the New Orleans defensive line.

He’s a highly competitive player who always puts forth maximum effort, and after watching him in game action, it’s very difficult to imagine him not working his way onto the field in New Orleans.

The term “steal” gets thrown around an awful lot around draft time, but in Davison's case, the label may prove to be appropriate.