Colts 2022 Draft Interviews: Jalyn Armour-Davis, CB, Alabama

Meet Alabama cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis. We talked about his long road to starting at Alabama, his title as the "Kick-Slide King," and why he could be the steal of this draft class.

Jalyn Armour-Davis is a former four star recruit out of St. Paul's High School in Mobile, Alabama. He was recruited heavily by almost every school in the nation, but he ultimately decided to play for Nick Saban at Alabama.

Armour-Davis' journey to becoming a starter at Alabama was long and tedious. He suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2018 that caused him to miss his entire freshman year. He returned to form following this injury, but found himself in more of a reserve role in Alabama's loaded secondary.

He did finally become a starter in his junior season in 2021. He ended up starting 11 games this past year, totaling 32 tackles, four pass breakups, and three interceptions on the season.

I asked Armour-Davis if he ever thought about transferring to another school during his long wait to become a starter:

Transferring was never an option for me. Something my mom instilled in me as a kid was how to fight through adversity and how to persevere through tough times. I knew early in my career, when I had those injuries, that it was just the card that I was dealt.

I had a large setback very early in my career, but I just had to go with what I knew. I had to go to my roots and do what my mom taught me. You have to persevere through tough times without looking for the easy option or getting down on yourself.

Honestly, being at a place like Alabama, it can be hard to build yourself back up the depth chart after an injury. It just pushed me even more, because I knew what I had in me and I knew what I was capable of. I kept the confidence in myself, I continued to work, and I let the rest take care of itself.

Armour-Davis fought through a major injury early in his career. I asked him how he mentally dealt with that injury, and some others he went through in his career.

I also asked him what he did to still remain part of the team when he was out with an injury.

So, early in my career, my way of staying part of the team was just getting familiar with my playbook. Learning that playbook as a freshman coming in... That's a very hard playbook to get a grasp of. I took that time to really get a grasp of it without being on the practice field.

I was able to watch other guys make mistakes in practice and learn from them that way, rather than being out there and learning from my own mistakes. When it was time for me to come back, I never really felt out of the loop. Even though it took me a while to be a starter, I was never anything less than a second string.

Okay then Jalyn Armour-Davis! Eyes locked on the hips, nice fluidity to attach into the pocket off the break, then THROUGH. THE. HANDS. pic.twitter.com/YzwrIfrPBr

— Cory (@fakecorykinnan) October 27, 2021

Playing Under Nick Saban

It is impossible to mention Alabama football without talking about Nick Saban. The legendary coach has won seven National Championships in his career and has a reputation as one of the best defensive minds in the history of the game.

I asked Armour-Davis how playing under the legendary coach helped his game develop:

It was four years of my life that I will never forget. It wasn't just in terms of how he taught me to play the position, but it was just the person that Coach Saban is. He is the most consistent and hard working person that I have ever met in my entire life.

He doesn't change his routine for any person or any team that we are playing. Whether it is week one, preseason, or the National Championship, he's going to prepare the same way. He prepares for every possible situation in the game.

He treats every opponent with the same respect. He makes everybody earn what they are working for. Someone like him, you have no choice but to have the utmost respect for him.

From the outside looking in, it is easy to say he's the greatest of all time. When you are in there with him, seeing all the work that he puts in to earn all of those accolades, you just gain that much more respect for him.

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Not really fair to call a high 4 star CB recruit who was a 100m state champ & triple jump state champ a "sleeper".. but Jalyn Armour-Davis (Ala) is close to that

His ability to trust his speed at the LoS is fantastic, the step-kick is *chef's kiss*. Might blow up the Combine too pic.twitter.com/HMJmfM8Oa1

— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) February 10, 2022

The Kick-Slide King

Armour-Davis was crowned by his teammates as the "Kick-Slide King" prior to this past year. This is obviously referring to a Saban coaching point on never crossing your feet in coverage, which is something he refers to as a kick-slide.

I asked Armour-Davis how he earned this title from his teammates:

One of the things that you have to do to be a corner in (Saban's) defense is play press-man technique. That is something that I took pride in being the best at. I always worked on my press-man technique, my footwork, and my ability to mirror receivers off of the line.

I got that nickname, or I guess it was published, after the spring semester. That is when I really stepped into the role as a starter. I had a really big chip on my shoulder and I finally felt that it was my time. I knew that nothing was going to be handed to me, so I turned it up to a whole different notch in the spring (to a notch that everybody knew was in me).

I turned it up to the point where I had earned the respect of the guys around me. I earned it so much that someone gave me that title.

With Armour-Davis being, arguably, the best press-man cornerback in this class, I dove into some questions about that technique.

I asked him why it is so important to win at the line of scrimmage as a cornerback:

I think it is very important. Obviously, you have to be athletic to play the position. I trust my speed and trust my athletic ability to run with the best down the field, but you can't be arrogant about your speed. You have to understand that the guys you are playing against are on scholarship as well, and they can run too.

It literally comes down to a game of inches, which we hear all the time. Those inches start when the ball is snapped and you are at the line of scrimmage. You can't have any false steps. You can't shoot the wrong hand to lock your hips and limit your ability to turn and go up the field.

We've seen guys that run a 4.3 forty get beat deep, and we've also seen receivers that run a 4.3have guys that run 4.5 running with them stride for stride. Winning in the phone booth, as we would say, is very important. You have to be able to win at that point of attack.

NFL Draft Outlook

I finished off the interview with the same way I finish all of them. I asked Armour-Davis how he would sell himself to a team this offseason. I asked him what my team would be getting, on and off the field, if they draft him:

You are getting a very hard worker if you draft me. You are getting a consistent worker and a good football player. You are getting somebody that is very smart and that understands the playbook. You are going to get somebody that cares about the team and cares about the team environment.

Most importantly, you are going to get a winner. You are getting someone that hates losing more than he loves winning. Someone that will do anything that it takes not to lose any games going forward.

I've never been in a losing environment, dating all the way back high school (where I won three State Titles). Losing is just not part of my character and I will never be okay with losing.

You getting a hard worker that is smart, talented, and willing to do anything to win a Super Bowl.

Jalyn Armour-Davis is the most underrated cornerback in this draft class. He is a smooth corner with excellent feet and technique. I truly don't understand the lack of hype surrounding his game.

If he ends up with a team that allows him to play to his strengths, don't be surprise if Armour-Davis ends up being the steal of this draft class.

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