Top Linebackers in NFL Draft: Akeem Davis-Gaither

Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, who was coached by a former Packers linebacker, is our seventh-ranked linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither, who was coached by a former Packers linebacker, is our seventh-ranked linebacker in the 2020 NFL Draft.

In 2011, the Green Bay Packers selected an undersized linebacker from Appalachian State named D.J. Smith.

In 2020, one of Smith’s pupils, Akeem Davis-Gaither, is considered one of the top linebackers in the draft.

“That’s a big brother to me. We’re really tight. I talk to him every day,” Davis-Gaither said at the Scouting Combine.

Davis-Gaither was a two-star recruit from Thomasville, N.C. Not surprisingly, there’s not a lot of demand from major colleges in linebackers who weigh 170 pounds.

“Coming in as a freshman, I was overlooked by the coaching staff,” Davis-Gaither said. “(Smith) really instilled that confidence in me and showed that, if I work every day, the results were going to pay off.”

Davis worked himself into being a top NFL prospect. Working closely with a nutritionist, Davis’ weight surged to 195 pounds by the end of his freshman year and kept creeping upward. He was listed at 219 pounds as a senior. At 6-foot-1 1/2, he weighed 224 pounds at the Scouting Combine.

With more mass on his bones, he made more plays. As a senior, Davis-Gaither earned some All-American accolades and was named Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior after posting 104 tackles, 14.5 tackles for losses, five sacks, eight pass breakups, one interception and one blocked field goal.

“Coming out of high school, I was 170 (pounds), so I just had that underdog mentality, where I was small but I wanted to play big,” he said. “I wanted to show guys that size didn’t matter to me. Hit guys in the mouth. Just really play hard. Just really be like a lion out of the cage on game day. I just turn on a different mind-set when the lights go on.”

Davis-Gaither and Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons, who figures to be a top-five pick, were the only linebackers in this draft class to record 100-plus tackles, two-plus sacks and five-plus passes defensed. In fact, among this year’s linebackers, Davis-Gaither’s nine passes defensed trail only the 13 from Simmons and 11 from Wyoming’ Logan Wilson. He credited Smith’s help in the film room for his monster final season.

His father is receivers coach at Western Michigan, so he’s grown up around football and understands what it takes to succeed.

“I’m a different animal” for games, Davis-Gaither said. “I turn into someone different than how I act outside of football. I’m more of a quiet person, but once the lights go on, I really just express everything and let everything out. Just have fun and energize.”

What we like

Davis-Gaither didn’t test at the Combine due to a foot injury sustained in the midst of an upset victory over North Carolina, a game in which he had a second-half interception and game-clinching blocked field goal. The film shows a player with elite range and a nose for the football. Plus, he’s got ample experience in coverage and was a productive blitzer. “Just my ability to run and hit, sideline to sideline. My ability to pass rush, cover the tight ends and running back. My ability to play any position.”

What we don’t like

The size is obvious but he also played in a hybrid role meshing 3-4 outside linebacker and slot defender. So, it will be a whole new ballgame for him when he has to take on guards and centers. At 224 pounds, he doesn’t have the strength to consistently win those battles. Sometimes, dancing around blocks turns into tackles. Sometimes, it turns a hole into a massive alley.

Bill Huber’s Linebacker Profiles

No. 1: Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons

No. 2: Oklahoma’s Kenneth Murray

No. 3: LSU’s Patrick Queen

No. 4: Wisconsin’s Zack Baun

No. 5: Ohio State’s Malik Harrison

No. 6: Wyoming’s Logan Wilson

No. 7: Appalachian State’s Akeem Davis-Gaither

Son of a former Packers coach

Nos. 8-27: Best of the Rest