Countdown to Camp: Sean Davis

by Christina "Tina" Rivers (3Rivers_Writer) on July 19, 2017

Countdown to Camp is a series aimed at preparing fans for the Pittsburgh Steelers upcoming training camp by focusing on players who were on the 2016 roster. Each profile will include basic statistics and a hand selected highlight from last year.

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Sean Davis	28
Position	Safety
Date of birth	October 23, 1993 (age 23)
Place of birth	Washington, D.C.
Height	6-1
Weight	201
High school	Washington (DC) Maret
College	Maryland
NFL Draft	2016 / Round 2 / Pick 58
Career	2016 Steelers Rookie of the Year

Sean Davis was one of three rookies in 2016 that took starting roles. After a good NFL combine performance, Davis was considered a better fit at safety by scouts and analysts at the pro level than cornerback even though Davis had experience at both positions while playing at Maryland. The Steelers agreed.

During training camp in 2016, Davis – being groomed at strong safety – was forced to play the nickel position due to injuries to Senquez Golson and Artie Burns.

Davis was the early starting nickel back and overcame a back injury before Pittsburgh moved a healthy Burns into that spot and transitioned Davis to the slot. Davis then took the strong safety position from Robert Golden.

In his second consecutive start at strong safety, against the Indianapolis Colts, Davis saved a go-ahead touchdown by shutting down quarterback Scott Tolzien on the one-yard line. It was a critical play that gave the Steelers the win.

His subsequent play in the final quarter of the 2016 NFL season earned him the team’s Rookie of the Year award.

Some NFL insiders worry that Davis showed a less-than-stellar ability to make reads, which forced the Steelers into the cover-2 zone defense in several games. With both Keith Butler and Mike Tomlin stating they’d like to utilize more man-press coverage in 2017, Davis will have to take advantage of his height and length and kick into the next gear while being more dominating over receivers.

Davis is young and has the talent to move to the next level in 2017. He’ll need strength, improved tackling skills (less ankle-grabs) and increased stopping power to dominate in the strong safety position. Davis will also need to demonstrate an ability to handle running backs out of the backfield and shut down passing lanes while being less hesitant in making contact with blockers and offensive linemen.

Steelers fans loved what he showed in his pro debut last season and Davis will be a player to watch once camp battles heat up.