2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Tyler Davis

Strengths

• Plays with natural leverage due to height
• Possesses a dense, compact 300-pound frame and enough twitch to fly through gaps
• Explodes through short areas with good power and burst to drive solo blocks
• Adequate agility and impressive footspeed to change gaps and be deployed on stunts
• Natural feel for tracking the football as a run defender
• Consistently finishes tackles downfield
• Flashes the ability to take on double teams

Weaknesses

• Plays too tall
• Must generate better knee bend to take advantage of natural leverage and match power at the NFL level
• Top-heavy, which leads to issues with contact balance
• Ends up on the ground when he isn't able to absorb blows to his edges
• Lacks power and mass to eat double-teams consistently
• Bull rush is his only pass-rush move that he can count on
• Lacks plan and counters as a pass rusher

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Tyler Davis

Davis currently has a top-75 grade from our team, landing somewhere between picks 50 and 75. Davis burst onto the scene at Clemson in 2019 and has been a consistent presence in their deep defensive line rotation ever since. He has dealt with multiple injuries at Clemson (torn bicep in 2021), but nothing that should leave lasting impacts. Additionally, he has been voted a permanent captain by his teammates twice.

On tape, Davis possesses a natural leverage advantage that helps him generate a good lift off the snap. He possesses a stout, compact frame that's loaded up with explosive power into initial contact. Davis has impressive agility and footspeed for his size, allowing him to jump around gaps and play from multiple alignments. Against the run, he's an instinctive player with a natural feel for the flow of traffic and a motor to finish plays downfield.

While he does flash the ability to withstand double teams on occasion, it's not consistent enough to rely on. His power is more evident in initial contact than in his anchor. Part of the issue there is with his play height. He must improve his knee bend at the NFL level to maximize his natural leverage advantage and match more powerful blockers. Additionally, he is top-heavy, leading to some contact balance concerns. But the hope would be that an NFL training program could help him build mass more proportionately.

Davis could be a fit for the Chicago Bears from the mid-second round into the third round. While I'm skeptical about seeing the Bears invest more Day 2 draft capital on the interior defensive line, they could use an upgrade over Justin Jones. Davis fits the profile of a player who could be interchangeable for Matt Eberflus' scheme at the 3-technique and 1-technique spots. I feel like the Bears might wait until the third round to attack the interior defensive line, and Davis is a name to watch out for at that spot.

Pro Comp: Greg Gaines