Khalil Davis 2020 NFL Draft Profile

Position: Defensive Tackle

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 315 pounds

School: Nebraska

Khalil Davis 2020 NFL Draft Profile

The youngest of twins, Nebraska’s Khalil Davis emerged onto the college football scene as one of the more underrated yet efficient linemen in the nation. Like his brother Carlos, who also plays for the Cornhuskers, Khalil stood out at Blue Springs High School in Lincoln. He battled through injuries during his senior season, but tallied 60 tackles, including 26 for loss, and had 9.5 sacks. He helped lead Coach Kelly Donohoe’s team to an 8-4 record and a trip to the second round of the Class 6 state playoffs. Davis was ranked as the No. 3 player in Missouri by Rivals.com, while 247Sports ranked him as the No. 6 prospect in the state. Davis was also a track and field star, garnered second-place finishes in shot put and discus at the state championship finals, losing only to his brother. After his senior season, Davis, like his brother, committed to Nebraska.

College

Davis red-shirted his first season with the Cornhuskers. Instead, he participated in the scout team. As a sophomore, Davis was a key contributor on the defensive line, appearing in all 12 games and totaling a career-high 15 tackles, tripling his total from his redshirt freshman season. Davis also set career highs with four tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Davis concluded his season by posting two tackles against Iowa in the season finale, marking his fourth multi-tackle effort of the year.

In his junior season, Davis was a key member of the Husker defensive line while appearing in all 12 games as a junior. Davis earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten recognition after leading the Husker defensive line with a career-high 41 tackles. Davis also posted career highs with eight tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and four quarterback hurries. All of this, while not starting a single game.

Davis, who played his senior season as a graduate student, started every game but one as a senior. He missed the Northwestern game due to a Big Ten suspension for striking an Ohio State player in a loss. Davis had a career-high eight tackles the next week against Purdue, including 1.5 sacks and the first pass breakup of his career. Against No. 15 Wisconsin, Davis registered six tackles. He recording a career-high 2.5 sacks against Maryland. In his final game, Davis recorded a four-tackle performance against Iowa. Davis finished his career with 106 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks. He was named Third-Team All Big-10 and Nebraska Defensive Lineman of the Year. He also participated in Track and Field and received Honorable-Mention All-American in 2019.

Strengths

• Good lateral movement;
• Explosive in hips;
• Very reactive off the ball;
• Good Hustle;
• Tight Hands with Violent attack;
• Effective on running plays.

Weaknesses

• Undersized with short arms;
• Lack of Balance;
• Struggles with bull rush;
• Impatience with pass rush;
• Struggles to adjust to pass blocking;
• Struggles to maintain gaps.

Bottom Line on Khalil Davis

Davis is your classic developmental prospect of the 21st century. Players like Trysten Hill and Greg Gaines share similar characteristics to Davis, only they were graded higher. Davis has the ability to explosive off the line and provide teams with extra pressure in the run game. His instincts will allow him to be used as a rotational player on primarily first and second down. He has the potential to one day become a starter with proper coaching and improving his fundamental stature.

Davis lacks ideal size however, and short arms will allow him to get blown off the line if he doesn’t gain the first step. His biggest area of improvement will be his balance, particularly when attempting to apply pass pressure. Most of his sacks came when the QB was on the run or stepped up early in the pocket. He is the most polished player between him and his twin, but he will need at least a year or two on a practice squad to enhance his technique. He may be limited by scheme, but has enough three-down talent to warrant teams taking a flyer on him on Day 3.

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