Sean Davis (American football)

Sean Davis (born October 23, 1993) is an American football safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland.

High school career

Davis attended Maret School in Washington, D.C.. As a senior he recorded 87 tackles and three interceptions on defense and ran for 823 yards, seven rushing touchdowns, 601 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns on offense. He received offers from North Carolina, Boston College, and Connecticut but ultimately chose to attend the University of Maryland to play football.^[1][2]

College career

Davis played at Maryland from 2012 to 2015.^[3][4] He played safety his first three years before moving to cornerback prior to his senior year.^[5][6] During his career he started 40 of 50 games, recording 319 tackles, five interceptions and 2.5 sacks.

Professional career

Pre-draft

After he performed well at the NFL combine, many NFL analysts projected Davis to be a second or third round selection in the 2016 NFL Draft. Multiple teams and scouts had Davis listed as a safety instead of cornerback because of his size, athleticism, and tendency to give up big plays in coverage. It was reported up to 19 NFL teams were interested in him and he had visits with New England Patriot's head coach Bill Belichick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.^[7]

2016 NFL Draft

Davis was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 58th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Pittsburgh Steelers

On May 20, 2016, the Steelers signed Davis to a 4-year, $4.08 million contract with a $1.17 million signing bonus and $1.80 million guaranteed.^[9]

Davis began training camp developing as the Steeler's future strong safety but was forced to play the nickel position after Senquez Golson suffered a foot injury. He was the best option with fellow rookie Artie Burns also out due to an injury.^[10]

On September 12, 2016, the Steelers started Davis at their nickel back position for the first game of the season against the Washington Redskins. He finished a total of 4 tackles in the Steeler's victory and became the first defensive back to start a season opener for the Steelers since Chad Scott in 1997.^[11] During a Week 3 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he finished with a total of 7 combined tackles and also suffered an injury to his back during the game.^[11] On October 9, 2016, he was again the Steeler's starting nickel back against the New York Jets and would finish the game with 4 solo tackles and 6 total. Davis was demoted from the nickelback position in favor for Artie Burns after playing in the slot for the first five games of the season.^[10]

On November 13, 2016, Davis made a critical penalty when he facemasked Cowboy's Tight End Jason Witten with less then 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The 15-yard penalty put the Dallas Cowboys, who were down 28-30 at the time, in field goal range and they would score the game-winning touchdown the very next play. He later explained he was attempting to pry the ball but when Witten ducked he accidentally grabbed his facemask. Davis finished the 35-30 loss with a combined 5 tackles.^[12]

On November 20, 2016, Davis replaced Robert Golden as the Steeler's starting strong safety in a victory over the Cleveland Browns.^[13]

Four days later, Davis made his second consecutive start at strong safety against the Indianapolis Colts. Late in the second quarter, Davis saved a go ahead touchdown after stopping quarterback Scott Tolzien at the one-yard line after he attempted to dive into the end zone. The next play resulted in an incomplete pass on fourth down. The Steelers went on to win the game 28-7 and improving their record to 6-5. He played on every defensive snap for the Steelers during the game.

Personal life

Davis was born to Sean and Lisa Davis and is also trilingual. He speaks English, French, and Chinese and majored in communication during his time at Maryland.^[2]

References

External links

• Maryland Terrapins bio