ALLEN PARK >> When Jarrad Davis got the call from Bob Quinn that he was about to be drafted by the Lions it was a life-changing moment.
The linebacker, who played at Florida, was watching the draft on Thursday night from home in Georgia.
“I didn’t know what to expect, I was excited to sit down and watch it like I usually do,” Davis said in a conference call late on Thursday night.
After he talked to Quinn he also chatted with coach Jim Caldwell and Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford.
Davis, who was the 21st overall pick, knew the Lions were interested because they had traveled to Gainesville to give him a private workout. The contingent from Detroit included general manager Bob Quinn.
“He’s a guy we spent a lot of time evaluating going back to our spring scouting last May and June, all the way through the process from fall scouting to postseason to an individual workout we had with him in March,” Quinn said.
Davis fills a huge need for the Lions who need a starting linebacker to play alongside Tahir Whitehead since they released DeAndre Levy.
“He’s a guy we feel can play mike (middle) and will (weakside). We’re going to put him in the mix with all the guys we have on the roster and kind of figure out what’s the best way to use him. He definitely has position flexibility,” Quinn said.
Davis said he learned both positions when he got to Florida and was comfortable with both.
“I played strictly mike all the way through my junior and senior years,” Davis said. “To play that, lead the defense and have the opportunity to make almost every play, every snap being in the middle of the defense, it was a position I really enjoyed and thrived on.”
In 2016, Davis started nine games with 60 tackles with two sacks for a loss of 19 yards. He also had four pass break-ups and five quarterback hurries. He missed time due to an ankle injury but Quinn said he passed their medical tests at the combine.
No surprise, Davis (6-foot-1, 238) was voted as one of Florida’s captains by his teammates. Quinn and Caldwell love leadership qualities and drafted several college captains a year ago.
Character is important to the Lions which could be a reason they bypassed other players available.
“When you go to the school and you’re a scout and you talk to the trainer, you talk to the equipment manager, you talk to the position coach, the head coach, anyone you can talk to as a scout. They gave the guy glowing remarks in terms of intelligence, work ethic, toughness, leadership, all those things,” Quinn said. “It was one after another, it wasn’t just one source, one coach, it was everybody in the building.”
Davis grew up in Georgia and played college football in the Sunshine State.
He’s excited to play in a cold-weather city.
“I’ve only seen snow one time in my life and that was at my grandma’s house in South Carolina and I’m ready for it,” Davis said. “Honestly I wish it would snow everyday but we all know that’s not true.”
The Lions selected Davis over Reuben Foster (Alabama) who slid down the board. Other defensive players who were still available included Charles Harris (Missouri), Michigan’s Taco Charlton and T.J. Watt (Wisconsin)
The draft shook out well for the Lions who had more needs on defense than offense. Eight of the first dozen draft picks – and 10 of the top 20 – were players from the offensive side of the ball including three quarterbacks and three wide receivers.
Other linebackers on the Lions roster include: Whitehead, Antwione Williams, Paul Worrilow, Brandon Copeland, Brandon Chubb and Steve Longa.
Mrs. Ford was in the Lions’ draft room – sitting to Caldwell’s right – just like she was last year. Quinn said the room is “pretty calm” during the proceedings.
“I think that’s what people on the outside don’t really understand, it’s not like the movie ‘Draft Day.’ What was that movie from Cleveland that was a couple years ago? It’s not like that,” Quinn said.
The Lions have seven picks remaining – one each in every round except in the sixth round where they have two.
Friday’s draft for the second and third rounds starts at 7 p.m. Saturday’s draft begins at noon.
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