NFL Draft: Should Falcons Keep Georgia DT Jordan Davis Home at No. 8?

The Georgia Bulldog had an incredible Combine and could find himself staying in the state in which he went to college.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 7, 2022

One of the biggest winners at the NFL Combine this past week was Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis.

Jordan Davis

Jordan Davis performing drills at Combine

Jordan Davis fielding questions from reporters

The 6-6, 341-pound defensive tackle triggered some jaws to drop when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.78 seconds.

He performed well in other areas as well, and is beginning to climb up some draft boards, making him a possibility with the No. 8 overall pick for the Atlanta Falcons.

While this draft has a ton of depth on the defensive line, the Falcons are justified in taking a lineman with their first pick after coming dead last in sacks last season and allowing the sixth-most rushing yards in the league.

The team also is wrestling with the decision of whether or not to keep Grady Jarrett, who is set to make $16.5 million in the final year of his contract. Drafting Davis would open the door to moving on from Jarrett, who turns 29 next month.

There are other Georgia defenders that make sense with the No. 8 pick as well. Travon Walker and Devonte Wyatt are both expected to come off the board sometime in the first two rounds, a sign that the Bulldogs put together a historic defense during their national championship campaign this past season.

Atlanta Falcons Fans Facebook Group

Terry Fontenot, Arthur Smith

Grady Jarrett

Grady Jarrett in training camp

Before this weekend, there might have been hope that Davis would fall to the second round and be the pick at the top of the second round for Atlanta. But his strong showing last weekend makes him a likely first-round pick.

Davis might be a reach at No. 8, especially with an extremely deep draft on the D-line, but last year general manager Terry Fontenot proved that he will go after who he wants regardless of where they sit on someone else's draft board. At the end of the day, he wants to draft talented players, and Davis certainly fits the bill.

Published Mar 7, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.