Chicago Bears draft profile: Marcus Davenport, edge rusher

Weaknesses: “A work in progress”

If you’re looking for an edge rusher that will come right in and be “NFL ready”, Davenport might not be your cup of tea.

Partly due probably to the level of competition he faced at UTSA, Davenport doesn’t have a very refined game as an edge defender, either as a pass rusher or as a run stopper.

One thing you’ll notice about him from the moment you flip on the tape: he plays very upright. Trust me, you’ll know he’s 6-foot-6 when you see him coming out of his stance, and I don’t mean that in a good way.

Furthermore, in college, he got away with simply overmatching opponents with speed and power, barrelling through or running around them. Aside from bull-rushing with an occasional stutter step, Davenport dominated with essentially no additional moves to speak of.

The Senior Bowl actually revealed some of the issues that Davenport may face against better competition in that regard.

Moreover, though he clearly has the athleticism to play in coverage, the instincts and technique aren’t there yet. With his high pad level, I could see him struggling to change direction quick enough to stay with running backs or tight ends that can break off routes with any level of suddenness.

Still, it’s not like Floyd was great in that aspect his rookie year either, and he’s since developed into arguably the best coverage linebacker the Chicago Bears have at the moment. So even if Davenport’s coverage skills look rough at first, they can get better.

However, Davenport’s instincts also have to improve, which will take time. He doesn’t always track the football well, focusing at times more on his blocker than the ball. His eyes stay down too often, causing him to be late in his pursuit of the ball or miss tackles.

For example, I’m still trying to figure out how he hit his own guy here rather than the ballcarrier.

Optimistically, every area he’s rough in right now can be improved with NFL coaching, especially from a guy like Fangio.

Nonetheless, it’s only fair to point out how much work Fangio and his staff would have to do on Davenport to get him ready for meaningful NFL snaps.