Deshaun Davis to Cincinnati

[aubiefifty 16,761]

Auburn’s Deshaun Davis selected by Cincinnati Bengals in 6th round of 2019 NFL Draft

Updated Apr 27, 5:46 PM; Posted Apr 27, 3:50 PM

Raw footage: Auburn's Deshaun Davis selected by Cincinnati Bengals in NFL Draft

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By Tom Green | tgreen@al.com

Deshaun Davis’ road to the pros ended on Saturday, when the former Auburn linebacker was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals

Davis heard his name called on Day 3 of the NFL Draft, with the Bengals choosing him in the sixth round with the 210th overall pick in the draft. Davis was the fourth Auburn player to be selected in this year’s draft, behind cornerback Jamel Dean (third round to Tampa Bay), quarterback Jarrett Stidham (fourth round to New England) and receiver Darius Slayton (fifth round to the New York Giants).

He is just the second former Auburn linebacker to be drafted since 2007 and the first Auburn linebacker since Corey Lemonier was picked in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.

For Davis, hearing his name called Saturday was the culmination of a winding, at times unlikely, road to the NFL.

When he was 12 years old, he was kicked out of school after getting into a fight -- prompting his homeroom teacher to tell Davis’ mother to her face that she did a poor job raising him. After Davis got to high school at Vigor, he took football more seriously at the behest of his coach, Kerry Stevenson, and then transformed into an All-State player as a sophomore, albeit an undersized and under-recruited linebacker prospect.

Soon enough, Davis’ recruitment took off and he committed to Auburn. He then suffered a setback when he sustained a partial ACL tear the spring before his senior year. Upon his arrival at Auburn, he redshirted in 2014 and then barely saw the field in 2015, playing primarily on special teams.

That’s when Davis came to a crossroads, with his then-position coach urging him to transfer because he didn’t believe Davis could play linebacker at Auburn. Travis Williams, then a graduate assistant for the Tigers, intervened and convinced Davis to stay. Williams went on to become the Tigers’ linebackers coach under defensive coordinator Kevin Steele that offseason, and the decision to remain at Auburn paid off for Davis.

Over the next three seasons, Davis became a star at linebacker. As a redshirt sophomore in 2016, he broke out with 63 tackles -- third on the team -- at middle linebacker. He followed it up by leading the Tigers in tackles each of his final two seasons, posting 82 in 2017 before following it up with 116, including a team-best 15 for a loss, last season while becoming the first Auburn linebacker since Williams in 2004.

Davis finished his career with 266 total tackles -- fourth-most among all Auburn players since 2000 -- including 29.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks.

According to OverTheCap.com, Davis’ four-year rookie contract is projected to be worth $2.6 million, with a $127,832 signing bonus.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.

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[BJCrawford 1,568]

I absolutely love this for Davis. So nice when good things happen to good people.

[PowerOfDixieland 3,226]

Count me in as well, this kid is just an absolutely fantastic person.  Pretty damn good linebacker also.  I pull for all our guys, this one is just a little bit special to me for what he's been through and how gracefully he's handled it...he didn't get bitter he got better.

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

4 hours ago, BJCrawford said:

I absolutely love this for Davis. So nice when good things happen to good people.

Yes it is. 

 

[Tigerbelle 5,299]

3 hours ago, PowerOfDixieland said:

Count me in as well, this kid is just an absolutely fantastic person.  Pretty damn good linebacker also.  I pull for all our guys, this one is just a little bit special to me for what he's been through and how gracefully he's handled it...he didn't get bitter he got better.

He is special.....and he is a man with character. I think his Mom did a fine job myself.

[DAG 33,977]

Went from one of the most respected defensive minds telling him he would never start to getting drafted. Now, it is up to you 

[McLoofus 35,182]

I've never followed a guy from his recruitment through four years with the team and then into the NFL quite like I did this man. 

Deshaun Davis is my favorite Auburn player of all time and I am so happy for him.

I'm even happier for Cincinnati for stealing him in the late rounds. 

[Maverick.AU 13,279]