Eagles rookie Jordan Davis follows snub with a top-ten mention

Discussions about Jordan Davis‘ usage aside, it hasn’t taken long to arrive at theories that the Philadelphia Eagles hit a home run by taking him. We’ve long known this. Six-foot-six, 341-pound athletes that can run the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds are rare. Heck, have we ever seen someone with a similar body type do that? We can’t think of any off the top of our heads. That probably isn’t as important as the next statement though.

The NFL Draft is a crapshoot. Often we see first-rounders fail, so if an NFL franchise is able to walk out of a selection meeting with an unquestioned future star, everyone is happy. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s early, but we’ll plant the flag now. Jordan Davis is a sure thing, and the Eagles made the wisest of decisions by taking him. The experts are split, but the doubters will come around sooner rather than later.

Jordan Davis is snubbed by NFL.com and praised by Pro Football Focus shortly thereafter.

Ahead of the NFL’s fifth week of on-field action, NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah released his top-25 ranking of the rookies after pro football’s first four weeks of action. Jordan Davis is noticeably absent. Much of the reason for that being the case is obvious.

The guys that Jeremiah mentions are bigger components of the offensive or defensive game plans for their respective teams. We see them more often. They have more opportunities to make plays as they’ve had more snaps than Davis. More often than not, they’ve made good on those opportunities.

Pro Football Focus’ statistical engine works differently. Regardless of the number of snaps, they evaluate performance based on impact from down to down. Davis scores higher on their algorithm.

Almost one full week after Jeremiah’s ranking, PFF’s Michael Renner dropped one of his own. Offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu, EDGE Sam Williams, wide receiver Chris Olave, offensive tackle Braxton Jones, cornerback Tariq Woolen, cornerback Jack Jones, EDGE Nik Bonitto, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson, and quarterback Bailey Zappe rank 1-9. Jordan Davis lands at ten.

Here’s Renner’s reasoning for that being the case:

"Davis has been a mainstay on this list for his work in the run game. He managed two run stops on only 12 such snaps against the Arizona Cardinals. He now has a 77.2 grade in run defense on the season."

Debates about whether or not Jordan Davis plays enough continue. Some say they’re fans of the way the Eagles coaching staff is bringing him along. Others say that he doesn’t play enough.

He’s seen 113 defensive snaps, roughly 33 percent of the team’s total. Here’s what we know. He came within inches of his first sack but has already proven to be an unstoppable force versus the run and someone Philly can build around.

Time will help him improve. So will additional opportunities, but so far, so good if we’re talking about evaluation. Howie Roseman got this one right. Davis is a star in the making. He’s intelligent. He’s articulate. He’s a natural-born leader. He’slearning behind a Pro Bowler, Javon Hargrave, and one of the best players to ever wear an Eagles jersey, Fletcher Cox.

Regardless of where he’s ranked on this list or that one, the NFL is already on notice. Number 90 for the Philadelphia Eagles is going to be a problem for opposing offenses for years to come.