Eagles got a gem in undrafted free agency with Devante Davis

All the rage in undrafted free agency (whew, that sounds exciting) is the Cowboys signing La'el Collins. Obviously, that is notable, but it should not get lost in the fold the good players that Philadelphia were able to bring in. My favorite acquisition, by far, was Philly going out and signing UNLV receiver, Devante Davis. Davis is a player I was super high on during the process and I think has a very good chance to make some noise in Philadelphia.

The Player

Size really stands out with Davis, first and foremost. Standing at 6-3 and carrying around over 220 pounds, Devante Davis has incredibly intimidating size. His size, not surprisingly, is his biggest asset and he is a monster at the catch point. He is incredibly physical with the ball in the air and he does a great job using his body to box out defenders at the catch point. He does a tremendous job tacking the ball and he has an incredibly strong pair of hands.

The biggest issue is that he has issues gaining separation in his routes. He is not a very efficient mover and his ability to change direction quickly likely limits his upside as a route runner. He has little burst, but is fast enough in a straight line when he gets up to stride. The thing is, if you have a quarterback who can trust Davis with the ball in the air, Davis mitigates his speed issues with his tremendous catch point ability. It is a bit situation dependent, but I think Davis can really excel in a jump ball receiver type of role. After the catch, while he is not incredibly dynamic, he runs very hard and his size makes him difficult to bring down in the open field. Davis, like Liam Neeson, has a very specific set of skills. He may not be able to gain separation through his routes, but he will steal a defensive backs lunch at the catch point and come down with the ball no matter what. It takes an aggressive type of passer to maximize him, but he is an exciting player.

Pro Comparison: Alshon Jeffery.

Here is Davis lighting it up against Nevada. (Go to 2:08)

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Here is a tremendous breakdown of Davis by two of the best in the game, Matt Harmon and Matt Waldman

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The Fit

I was very optimistic on the recent BGN Radio edition about how quickly Davis could make an impact here. In my humble opinion, he is already the third or fourth best receiver on the roster. That is highly contestable, but what I am positive of is that there is no receiver like him on the team right now. Jordan Matthews is the big slot receiver, Nelson Agholor will have a myriad of different roles and Josh Huff is somewhat of a gadget player at the moment.

The team really does not have a consistent "go up and get it" type of receiver and I think Davis can fill that role almost immediately. Obviously, it will be huge for him to get those types of chances in camp to show off his ball skills. If he can not show out in practice, his below average movement skills likely get him put on the practice squad. I, for one, am very optimistic about where he fits in on this team. I am incredibly hopeful that he can stick, because I truly believe he has a special skill set.