WEBVTT - LISTEN | Draft Pick Profile - Ashtyn Davis (5/11) 0:00:02.920 --> 0:00:06.120 Welcome to another edition of the Official Jets podcast, the 0:00:06.240 --> 0:00:10.280 Draft Pick Profile series, presented by Verizon Rolling on here 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:15.240 and e A. Ethan Greenberg breaking down Cow safety Ashton Davis, 0:00:15.240 --> 0:00:17.640 who the Jets took in the third round, number sixty 0:00:17.760 --> 0:00:21.599 eight overall, their third selection of the NFL Draft, and 0:00:21.680 --> 0:00:25.800 e A. The Jets actually got the overall selection from 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:31.240 the Giants when they traded Leonard Williams across town in October. Yeah, 0:00:31.240 --> 0:00:34.360 good value there from Joe Douglas acquiring a third round 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:38.519 pick in and then a fifth round pick in one. 0:00:38.640 --> 0:00:41.839 Leonard Williams got the franchise tag. He still has not 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:45.519 received a long term extension with the Giants. If he 0:00:45.640 --> 0:00:48.320 did prior to the start of the league year, that 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:53.760 fifth round pick in one would actually have became a 0:00:53.960 --> 0:00:57.520 fourth have become a fourth round pick. But instead the 0:00:57.640 --> 0:01:01.720 Jets do pick up a pair of draft picks, and 0:01:01.760 --> 0:01:05.640 they used this one in the third round on Ashton Davis, 0:01:05.640 --> 0:01:09.160 a versatile player. I feel like that is a broken 0:01:09.200 --> 0:01:13.200 record for us. Every player that Joe Douglas has taken 0:01:13.440 --> 0:01:16.520 or brought in free agency, you've seen a lot of 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:20.360 position flexibility, and I just thought this was an interesting 0:01:20.400 --> 0:01:24.280 spot in the draft order Greens because the Jets had 0:01:24.480 --> 0:01:28.600 two picks over nine selections on Friday night because Denzel 0:01:28.720 --> 0:01:31.960 Mims the wide receiver at the Baylor. Of course, they 0:01:32.040 --> 0:01:35.360 took with the fifty ninth overall selection in the second round, 0:01:35.440 --> 0:01:39.080 and they come back with the Giants selection here early 0:01:39.280 --> 0:01:44.640 in the third and they grabbed the Kale safety. The 0:01:44.680 --> 0:01:47.960 other thing I thought was interesting was after the Jets 0:01:47.960 --> 0:01:50.880 go tackle and receiver in rounds one and two, and 0:01:50.960 --> 0:01:52.720 then I thought it was kind of a guessing game. 0:01:52.760 --> 0:01:55.320 Anybody's guests where the Jets could go next. And I 0:01:55.360 --> 0:01:58.120 don't think a lot of pundents out there, and I 0:01:58.160 --> 0:02:00.000 don't think a lot of fans thought that the Jet 0:02:00.120 --> 0:02:03.160 would go with the safety. But it adds good depth. 0:02:03.160 --> 0:02:05.880 And we'll talk about where Davis fits and on this 0:02:06.080 --> 0:02:09.960 roster in a bit, but before we actually dive in 0:02:10.000 --> 0:02:13.880 to Ashton Davis the player, let's hear from the Jets personnel. 0:02:13.960 --> 0:02:17.560 Let's hear from Joe Douglas, Rex Hogan, chat Alexander and 0:02:17.600 --> 0:02:22.280 Phil Savage on why they liked Ashton Davis. You Ashton 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:26.000 bring speed, ball skills, versatility. Can see him line up 0:02:26.080 --> 0:02:28.800 over slot receiver and cover them and man coverage. You 0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:30.520 can see him line up as a high safety and 0:02:30.600 --> 0:02:32.520 range over to the sideline to make a play on 0:02:32.520 --> 0:02:34.800 the ball. You can see him attack the alleys in 0:02:34.840 --> 0:02:36.800 the in the run game, you can see him blitz 0:02:37.440 --> 0:02:41.120 what we have with Jamal, with Marcus, and you know, 0:02:41.200 --> 0:02:43.840 adding n Ashton, letting him compete, you know, the hope 0:02:43.919 --> 0:02:46.520 is that he can he can provide that kind of 0:02:46.639 --> 0:02:50.919 versatility and playmaking to our back end. Not only did 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:52.640 he walk on in football, he walked on in track 0:02:52.919 --> 0:02:56.440 at Cal and ended up you know, doing significantly well 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:00.200 for their track team at Cal, and then continue to 0:03:00.200 --> 0:03:03.320 improve as a football player and established himself as one 0:03:03.320 --> 0:03:06.000 of the premier defensive players, not only for Cal, but 0:03:06.160 --> 0:03:09.320 in the Pac twelve. His versatility really stands out. That 0:03:09.360 --> 0:03:12.280 guys played free safety, strong safety, He's played corner, He's 0:03:12.280 --> 0:03:15.440 played nickel and those nickel and dime packages. Ashton's another 0:03:15.480 --> 0:03:18.160 guy who also provides us that versatility. And he didn't 0:03:18.200 --> 0:03:20.079 get to run at the combine, but I really think 0:03:20.120 --> 0:03:23.400 he would have tested extremely well without being able to 0:03:23.520 --> 0:03:26.320 because of the surgery he underwent. But this is an 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.320 explosive athlete, another height, weight and speed guy who's gonna 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:31.400 be able to help us on defense and special teams. 0:03:32.840 --> 0:03:36.080 He's really got good football intelligence. He cleans up a 0:03:36.120 --> 0:03:38.520 lot as a safety. You know, he's a good tackler. 0:03:38.520 --> 0:03:40.840 I think he is physical and he made some impressive 0:03:40.840 --> 0:03:44.880 players on tape universes running pass. He's just he's really instinctive, 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:47.480 really high football like you for the game. You know, 0:03:47.600 --> 0:03:49.840 he can he can cover receiver, he can cover a slot. 0:03:50.520 --> 0:03:52.640 He's got man in his own ability and he can 0:03:52.680 --> 0:03:54.800 match and maryn. We think he's gonna he's gonna be 0:03:54.840 --> 0:03:57.040 a really good player as well for us. Just gives us, 0:03:57.040 --> 0:03:59.080 you know, that much more versatility on the back end 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:01.520 market Singe all two really good players at that at 0:04:01.520 --> 0:04:04.640 the safety position, and then incomes Ashton Davison and we 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:06.040 feel like he's a guy that's gonna be able to 0:04:06.080 --> 0:04:08.320 help us on fourth down as well. He's gonna be 0:04:08.360 --> 0:04:10.600 a really good special teams player in the NFL. So 0:04:11.000 --> 0:04:12.720 just really excited to get him, to get him in 0:04:12.720 --> 0:04:15.360 the fold in that in that dB room and with 0:04:15.400 --> 0:04:18.480 those safeties, and you know, those are three really talented guys, 0:04:19.040 --> 0:04:21.360 you know, coming from where he came from. Uh, he's 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.400 really an impressive, you know guy that talked to. He's 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:26.400 an impressive young man, and uh, I don't think this 0:04:26.440 --> 0:04:28.480 moment is gonna be too big for him, just because 0:04:28.480 --> 0:04:30.880 of what he was able to overcome to get to 0:04:30.920 --> 0:04:34.640 get to this point. You know, I think Ashton is 0:04:34.640 --> 0:04:37.640 is one of those kinds of players that he's earned 0:04:37.760 --> 0:04:42.840 everything he's ever gotten. And you know, in this situation, 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:44.720 of course, a lot has been made about him being 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.919 a former walk onto the cow football team. Look, this 0:04:47.960 --> 0:04:51.120 guy is extremely talented. I mean, he's a legit track man, 0:04:51.240 --> 0:04:54.560 can absolutely run. But the thing that makes him different 0:04:54.880 --> 0:04:58.039 than a lot of guys who trans transition from track 0:04:58.120 --> 0:05:01.880 to football is that he's actually very instinctive as a player. 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:06.200 He's extremely versatile. Uh. There are a lot of safeties 0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.400 that have straight line speed, but they can't do a 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.719 lot of other things in terms of coverage, playing in 0:05:11.720 --> 0:05:14.840 the box, breaking down in space, that sort of thing, 0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:18.440 and Ashton Davis can do all of those things. He's 0:05:18.440 --> 0:05:22.279 a cerebral player. As I said, He's been an achiever 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:27.400 type person his entire life. And uh, we were we 0:05:27.400 --> 0:05:29.560 were excited to get him. We we just think that 0:05:29.600 --> 0:05:33.640 he's going to add another piece to the puzzle defensively 0:05:33.760 --> 0:05:36.880 and because of that versatility I mentioned. You know, he 0:05:36.920 --> 0:05:39.320 can play safe, he can play down in the box. 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:41.960 He might even take some reps outside as a corner. 0:05:42.240 --> 0:05:44.680 He's certainly fast enough to do it. And you know, 0:05:44.720 --> 0:05:47.359 I think if he had not had the injury or 0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:50.960 the surgery that happened back in December, and he would 0:05:51.000 --> 0:05:54.080 have been able to participate paid fully in the Senior 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:57.320 Bowl or the Combine, I think he clearly would have been, 0:05:57.600 --> 0:06:00.520 you know, a higher pick. So I think this this 0:06:00.600 --> 0:06:03.200 whole scenario where you know, he really was not able 0:06:03.240 --> 0:06:05.839 to work out due to the surgery and then this 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:09.479 pandemic that hurt him some in terms of the draft stock. 0:06:09.560 --> 0:06:12.080 But for us, we went by what we saw on 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:14.560 the film, on the tapes and in the fall, and 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:18.880 our scouts really liked him during the season. Great insight 0:06:18.960 --> 0:06:21.359 as always from those guys and e A. The first 0:06:21.400 --> 0:06:25.400 thing about Ashton Davis that we kind of here the 0:06:25.480 --> 0:06:28.880 personnel staff talk about is his backstory. And this is 0:06:28.880 --> 0:06:33.000 a player that grew up and had a massive growth spur. 0:06:33.080 --> 0:06:35.400 I mean he was he grew about eight inches and 0:06:35.480 --> 0:06:39.279 added about seventy five pounds in his final three years 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:43.120 at Santa Cruz High School. In California. He doesn't receive 0:06:43.160 --> 0:06:46.680 any football offers. He walks onto the Cow track team 0:06:46.720 --> 0:06:50.640 as a back doorway of walking onto the Cow football team, 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:53.719 and of course he ends up being a third round 0:06:53.720 --> 0:06:56.800 pick of the NFL Draft. Where do you want to 0:06:56.839 --> 0:06:59.240 start with this guy? I think he should be selling 0:06:59.360 --> 0:07:03.040 movie rights to his story. Green See started high school 0:07:03.520 --> 0:07:08.159 as a bike but four sophomore who weighed ninety pounds 0:07:09.160 --> 0:07:13.880 in Santa Cruz High School. Greens seventeen players his junior season, 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.320 and one of their offense ONLIVEE and wait a hundred 0:07:17.360 --> 0:07:20.840 and fifty five pounds. Great article by Bruce Feldman in 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:25.400 The Athletic if you want to learn about this backstory. 0:07:25.440 --> 0:07:29.360 But that team finished one and nine overall. He was 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:37.160 a zero star recruit, basically recruited himself to California and then, uh, 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:40.920 you know, gradually progressed. He was a special team stalwart 0:07:41.000 --> 0:07:44.120 early on in his career that he became a defensive regular. 0:07:45.120 --> 0:07:48.200 He's just continuing to progress. So there's a lot of 0:07:48.280 --> 0:07:51.200 reason to think right now that Ashton Davis is just 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:55.360 gonna get better and better. He is a fantastic athlete. Greens. 0:07:56.280 --> 0:07:59.280 One thing that stands out about Davis. When you hear 0:07:59.400 --> 0:08:02.600 from the differen guys that have covered Davis and the 0:08:02.680 --> 0:08:05.840 Jets personnel staff that talked about him, it seems he's 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:09.400 very instinctive for a player that's somewhat new to the 0:08:09.440 --> 0:08:12.480 position and somewhat new to football. To your point, he 0:08:12.600 --> 0:08:16.680 plays cornerback his first year on the football team in 0:08:16.720 --> 0:08:21.480 ten after red shirting, and he wins the Special Team's 0:08:21.600 --> 0:08:25.360 m VP Award back to back years, moves to free safety, 0:08:25.720 --> 0:08:28.120 and then this past year he's second team All Packed 0:08:28.160 --> 0:08:31.960 twelve and he's a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:36.319 goes to the nation's top former walk on. And I think, really, 0:08:36.360 --> 0:08:40.360 when you look at Davis's story, it's fascinating. And when 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:44.600 you hear about the different personnel guys talk about adding 0:08:44.640 --> 0:08:47.559 to the fabric of what they want the New York 0:08:47.640 --> 0:08:50.360 Jets to be. This is a guy that has worked 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:53.000 his way to where he is now. Not only has 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:55.400 he over overcome a lot on the football field, but 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:58.680 his father had an addiction problem where he went to 0:08:58.760 --> 0:09:02.360 rehab and he's been clean now. And actually Ashton Davis, 0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:04.880 his sister, and his father are all share the same 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:10.000 tattoo on their rist of the day that Ashton's father, 0:09:10.240 --> 0:09:14.760 Sean has been clean and so really a fascinating story 0:09:14.840 --> 0:09:19.520 and interesting prospect with a fascinating back story about sixth 0:09:19.520 --> 0:09:22.439 grade Ashton Davis writes, one day, I hope to be famous. 0:09:22.520 --> 0:09:24.920 My dream is to play in the NFL, NBA, and 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:28.120 Major League Baseball all at once until I'm too old 0:09:28.120 --> 0:09:30.360 to play. Sports is my hobby and that is all 0:09:30.400 --> 0:09:33.000 I do. One day, I hope to wish upon a 0:09:33.040 --> 0:09:35.600 star and try to tackle any chance I have at 0:09:35.640 --> 0:09:38.720 making my dream come true. Well, he's probably not gonna 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:42.360 play Major League Baseball or in the n b A, 0:09:42.600 --> 0:09:46.320 but he is certainly going to play in the National 0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:50.559 Football League. At Cal Green's, he played in forty eight 0:09:50.800 --> 0:09:54.440 out of a possible fifty games. He made thirty three starts, 0:09:55.240 --> 0:10:01.120 including nine consecutive, and then you look what he did 0:10:02.000 --> 0:10:06.839 in terms of production, hundred and seventy one tackles, seven interceptions, 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:11.319 nineteen pass defenses, three force fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. 0:10:11.400 --> 0:10:15.360 So he filed the football and athletic guy. We'll talk 0:10:15.400 --> 0:10:18.320 about his track background here in a moment, but the 0:10:18.360 --> 0:10:21.360 other thing he did was contribute on special teams more 0:10:21.400 --> 0:10:26.520 than seventeen hundred all purpose yards. Very fast, guy contributed 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:29.080 as a kick returner. You talked about what he did 0:10:29.160 --> 0:10:33.800 early on from a gunner position. This is guy who 0:10:34.120 --> 0:10:38.920 you mentioned the fabric, a great desire to play this game, 0:10:39.679 --> 0:10:43.760 a great flexibility, a great passion, and I think he's 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:46.680 gonna fit in and we're gonna talk about this in 0:10:46.720 --> 0:10:49.720 a little bit. I think he's a perfect fit for 0:10:49.840 --> 0:10:54.040 what the Jets are going to do defensively. I think 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.520 something else I like about Davis is he used track 0:10:57.600 --> 0:11:00.640 as a way to get on the football all radar, 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.160 but he was still a four year member of the 0:11:03.200 --> 0:11:06.560 Golden Bears track team. He was a four time All American. 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:10.520 He won a pack twelveth championship. He qualified for the 0:11:10.640 --> 0:11:14.480 n C Double A Championships in eighteen. He finished fourteen 0:11:14.920 --> 0:11:18.760 and the hundred ten meter hurdles, and he got a 0:11:18.880 --> 0:11:22.360 track scholarship, but he turned it down here because it 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:25.040 meant that he would have to give up his football dreams. 0:11:25.040 --> 0:11:27.520 And he was actually put on scholarship for the Golden 0:11:27.520 --> 0:11:30.960 Bears football team in twenty seventeen. I know we feel 0:11:30.960 --> 0:11:32.960 like we're beating a dead horse saying it, but he's 0:11:33.000 --> 0:11:38.360 really worked up to where he was the sixty overall 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:42.440 selection real quick, just on his pre draft process. He 0:11:42.480 --> 0:11:44.959 gets hurt at the end of the year. He undergo surgery. 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:47.840 And this is a guy where Phil Savage said this 0:11:48.320 --> 0:11:52.320 he was hurt by an evaluation standpoint, because he wasn't 0:11:52.360 --> 0:11:54.960 able to participate in any of the All Star games. 0:11:55.240 --> 0:11:57.840 In the combine, he didn't have a medical recheck the 0:11:57.880 --> 0:11:59.840 pro the teams couldn't get him in for a top thirty. 0:12:00.040 --> 0:12:02.439 Is it? So this is another guy where the Jets 0:12:02.480 --> 0:12:04.800 might have gotten great value At the end of the day. 0:12:04.800 --> 0:12:06.800 We might be looking at this in a couple of 0:12:06.880 --> 0:12:08.880 years and say, wow, how did Ashton Davis fall to 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:13.520 the overall selection? And this is because of an unusual process. 0:12:13.520 --> 0:12:15.920 He certainly would have ran while we know that and 0:12:15.960 --> 0:12:18.760 the kid is trained in it, you know, so you're 0:12:18.800 --> 0:12:22.840 thinking that he did not have the ability in Indianapolis 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:26.720 to run the forty yard dash where you know he 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:29.840 would have thrived in that area. And then at the 0:12:29.880 --> 0:12:35.160 senior bolt too, we mentioned Dunzel Mims overall selection by 0:12:35.200 --> 0:12:39.800 the Jets. Well, he had a dominant week Donomobile Alabama 0:12:39.840 --> 0:12:45.120 and helped his draft status in terms of proteins. Looking 0:12:45.160 --> 0:12:48.440 at him. Well, Ashton Davis didn't have the ability to 0:12:48.520 --> 0:12:51.960 go down there and perform physically on the field in 0:12:52.040 --> 0:12:54.480 front of all those scalps. So yeah, there definitely is 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:58.240 reason to think that this is strong value here. And 0:12:58.320 --> 0:13:01.839 you hear a lot of punt It's talk about Ashton Davis, 0:13:02.240 --> 0:13:05.280 what he brings from an a tangible standpoint, and then 0:13:05.360 --> 0:13:10.840 also how freakish is athletically. I think it's fair to 0:13:10.920 --> 0:13:16.040 say any person who walks on at cal to be 0:13:16.960 --> 0:13:20.360 a track and field star. In Nanny Binghams a football 0:13:20.400 --> 0:13:23.880 star as well, they have some freak athletic tenant season. 0:13:23.880 --> 0:13:27.600 And also it talks about their drive and what's inside 0:13:27.640 --> 0:13:30.600 and those are things he certainly can't measure. All right, 0:13:30.720 --> 0:13:33.600 let's hear from Olivy land Is, who spoke to Ashton 0:13:33.720 --> 0:13:37.320 Davis after he was selected. It's safe to say that 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:39.880 you've had quite the journey to get to this point. 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:42.760 What were some of your initial reactions when you heard 0:13:42.760 --> 0:13:45.680 your name called off the board. I didn't know what 0:13:45.760 --> 0:13:48.240 to think that I was just I was so happy, 0:13:48.440 --> 0:13:51.200 you know. Um, I was happy to see my mom's 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:54.280 look at my mom's face and my dad's face. Everyone 0:13:54.360 --> 0:13:57.240 was just so happy for me and that was amazing 0:13:57.280 --> 0:13:59.720 to see and um, you know, I can still hear 0:13:59.760 --> 0:14:02.960 them dreaming in the background here, So that really brought 0:14:03.000 --> 0:14:04.840 me a lot of joy and just you know, from 0:14:04.880 --> 0:14:10.160 my own personal accomplishments. Um, it felt really good thinking 0:14:10.200 --> 0:14:12.360 back to your own journey. Like I mentioned, you started 0:14:12.360 --> 0:14:14.840 out as a track star. Were tracks star still in 0:14:14.880 --> 0:14:18.760 college balancing both of that and football? How much work 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:20.920 did you have to put in on the football side 0:14:20.960 --> 0:14:24.320 to get to this point today. I had to put 0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:25.880 on a lot of work. So I would go to 0:14:25.920 --> 0:14:29.840 spring wal practices and then track right after. I basically 0:14:29.840 --> 0:14:31.480 had to do both like I was a walk on, 0:14:31.680 --> 0:14:34.480 because I was, and uh, but I put in I 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:36.960 put in a fair amount of work. When I got 0:14:36.960 --> 0:14:40.440 switched to safety, I uh, we're going to film at 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:43.160 five thirty am. We called it the breakfast Club, and 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:45.120 we were just trying to learn the scheme and trying 0:14:45.160 --> 0:14:48.400 to get it down and all that, you know, began 0:14:48.480 --> 0:14:51.520 to come to fruition by the time I got moved 0:14:51.520 --> 0:14:54.840 to safety and started my first game. For a lot 0:14:54.880 --> 0:14:57.920 of people who were not college athletes, I'm not sure 0:14:57.920 --> 0:15:01.000 that they understand how crazy of a schedule that is. 0:15:01.040 --> 0:15:04.080 But you being first a track star. You know a 0:15:04.120 --> 0:15:06.720 lot of accomplishments here they packed twelve winner in the 0:15:06.800 --> 0:15:11.920 hunter and ten hurdles. And how much did your track 0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:16.280 your your track resume help you in football because you 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:20.720 had to do both. Yeah, um, we'll track help me out. Fortunately, 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:23.160 my first year in track, I did really well and 0:15:23.240 --> 0:15:25.280 that kind of got the ear of football coaches a 0:15:25.280 --> 0:15:29.360 little bit. And um, you know, affording me that opportunity. Um, 0:15:29.440 --> 0:15:32.720 and just the whole mindset training for tracks a lot different. Um, 0:15:32.800 --> 0:15:34.400 A lot of times you're out there running by yourself. 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:36.120 You gotta hit your own times. You gotta be pretty 0:15:36.120 --> 0:15:38.680 disciplined or else you're gonna you know, you're not gonna 0:15:38.680 --> 0:15:41.120 get the results you want. Come come to meat day 0:15:41.560 --> 0:15:45.360 so that that mindset is carried over with me. And UM, 0:15:45.480 --> 0:15:46.840 yeah it was, there was. It was a lot on 0:15:46.880 --> 0:15:49.280 my plate. But I was blessed to have those problems. 0:15:49.360 --> 0:15:53.040 Those are good problems to have. You mentioned a little 0:15:53.040 --> 0:15:55.200 bit earlier. So let's circle back. You said you first 0:15:55.200 --> 0:15:58.200 started out in the cornerback position and then you transitioned 0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:03.680 to safety. How difficult was that transition at first? Um? 0:16:03.720 --> 0:16:06.400 I felt a lot more comfortable with safety. So, UM, 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:08.880 back in high school, we didn't have like a ton 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:12.120 of schemes. So it was it was when I switched 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.600 to safety, it just felt natural. Um, learning all that 0:16:14.640 --> 0:16:18.320 stuff was it was. It came really quickly to me, 0:16:18.360 --> 0:16:21.160 and it all kind of just made sense. And so 0:16:21.200 --> 0:16:25.760 if it was really natural transition. Now that you have 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:30.400 experience in both the cornerback position and safety, how versatile 0:16:30.440 --> 0:16:33.120 would you consider yourself in both positions? And how much 0:16:33.120 --> 0:16:35.160 do do you do you think you can contribute to 0:16:35.160 --> 0:16:38.920 both positions. I think I can contribute, you know, anywhere 0:16:38.960 --> 0:16:43.200 they put me. Um, I'm comfortable on the outside, inside, um, 0:16:43.200 --> 0:16:46.360 whatever the case. Maybe you know during one on ones 0:16:46.640 --> 0:16:50.360 would take reps with the corners as well. So I just, yeah, 0:16:50.360 --> 0:16:54.480 I feel comfortable wherever they want to put me. Going 0:16:54.480 --> 0:16:57.320 off that a little bit, defensive coordinator Greg Williams, he's 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.840 been known around the league for making all of his 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:04.120 defensive players learned at the very least two different positions. 0:17:04.240 --> 0:17:06.800 Sounds like you're already off to a head start. So 0:17:07.320 --> 0:17:10.720 when you think about that and how he handles his players, 0:17:10.920 --> 0:17:12.960 what would you tell him that you can bring to 0:17:13.000 --> 0:17:14.639 the table. You already kind of mentioned a little bit, 0:17:14.640 --> 0:17:18.119 But when you think about Greg Williams specifically. UM, well, 0:17:18.160 --> 0:17:20.600 if he's a guy that likes people that know multiple positions, 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:24.560 I think that, uh that I'm a good fit for that. Um, 0:17:24.600 --> 0:17:26.840 you know. I that was something that I kind of 0:17:26.840 --> 0:17:29.200 took the next step on after my first year of 0:17:29.280 --> 0:17:32.200 playing safety. I wanted to know every position and not 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.919 just my responsibility, but that way they could put me, 0:17:35.920 --> 0:17:38.159 um if someone went down. And um we did that 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:40.360 actually this year a couple of times, and I knew 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:42.199 the scheme well enough where they could just plug me 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:47.000 in and play me aston if you were to be 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:50.639 able to play some of the safety positions. Pro bowler 0:17:50.720 --> 0:17:53.280 Jamal Adams is also back there at safety, and then 0:17:53.320 --> 0:17:55.800 Marcus May. How much do you think you can learn 0:17:55.880 --> 0:18:00.440 from players of that caliber? I'm excited, Um, mom is 0:18:00.480 --> 0:18:03.359 a guy watched on tape, and Marcus May he's also 0:18:03.720 --> 0:18:06.720 really talented. So I look forward to learn from those guys. Um. 0:18:06.800 --> 0:18:10.080 That's one thing I'm excited about for sure. UM is 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:12.000 you know, getting behind to two guys that know what 0:18:12.040 --> 0:18:14.399 they're doing back there and uh soaking up all that 0:18:14.440 --> 0:18:18.399 knowledge real quickly before I let you go. You also 0:18:18.400 --> 0:18:22.480 contributed to special teams back at cal. What was some 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:24.840 of your roles and how do you think you can 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:28.679 continue that in the NFL? Yeah, so on kickoff, I 0:18:28.800 --> 0:18:31.440 was a gunner. Um, I was a gun around pun 0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:34.440 as well. I played a variety of position on punt 0:18:34.440 --> 0:18:39.040 return and kickoff return. I also returned punts and kick kickoffs. 0:18:39.160 --> 0:18:41.960 And yeah, I kind of tried to do as much 0:18:42.000 --> 0:18:44.440 as I could on that. And uh, such teams is 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:46.280 something that I enjoy doing and think that I can 0:18:46.600 --> 0:18:49.560 I can help us with at the next level. And 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.160 let's now take a look at where Davis fits in 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.960 on this Jets defense. We mentioned that he was a 0:18:55.080 --> 0:18:59.960 versatile peace. Greg Williams loves versatility and at the safety position. 0:19:00.080 --> 0:19:03.240 Of course, Jamal Adams and Marcus May the starters, but 0:19:03.400 --> 0:19:06.160 after those two guys a bit of a question mark 0:19:06.440 --> 0:19:11.040 before Ashton Davis came into the fold here, Yeah, and 0:19:11.200 --> 0:19:14.800 the Jets may have the best safety and the entire 0:19:14.880 --> 0:19:18.480 National Football leave Jamal Adams two time team I'm VP, 0:19:18.840 --> 0:19:23.240 he was first team All Pro last year, two time 0:19:23.320 --> 0:19:27.879 Pro Bowler. He's such a destructive force and instinct the 0:19:28.000 --> 0:19:31.320 ball player. Um. But the only player in the defensive 0:19:31.320 --> 0:19:35.120 backfield who played sixteen games last year was Marcus May, 0:19:35.200 --> 0:19:38.840 and he's range e. Uh, he helps these guys get 0:19:39.000 --> 0:19:44.000 set up. He is, uh, the central command piece back there. 0:19:44.080 --> 0:19:47.440 When the Jets had so many issues at the cornerback position, 0:19:47.920 --> 0:19:50.640 all those young cornerbacks who came in and played, they 0:19:50.720 --> 0:19:53.879 point to Marcus May and say, hey, he's the guy 0:19:53.960 --> 0:19:57.480 who's kind of determined our shock clock, when we should 0:19:57.480 --> 0:20:01.000 be disguising, when when we should be coming off markets. 0:20:01.000 --> 0:20:03.320 May doesn't get enough credit for what he brings to 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:06.160 the table on this team. But with that being said, 0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:09.919 like you mentioned Greens, who was gonna be that third 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:14.480 piece behind those guys. In the National Football League, a 0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:18.760 lot of people say that your your base defense is 0:20:19.160 --> 0:20:22.040 a sub package, whether you're playing five defensive backs the 0:20:22.119 --> 0:20:27.040 Nickel scheme or sometimes even dying depending on what offenses 0:20:27.040 --> 0:20:30.800 are doing. Sometimes you're throwing out there six defensive backs 0:20:30.880 --> 0:20:34.399 on the field. What you like about Ashton Davis is 0:20:34.680 --> 0:20:37.639 when he started getting on the field defensively for the 0:20:37.720 --> 0:20:41.919 Kel Golden Bears, it was at cornerback. So you know 0:20:42.119 --> 0:20:46.720 he has free safety skills evidenced by his seven interceptions, 0:20:46.880 --> 0:20:50.720 and we've talked about his speed, but other people talk 0:20:50.800 --> 0:20:54.480 about when you watch him on the film, is He's 0:20:54.520 --> 0:20:58.359 another guy who brings a physical element to the game. 0:20:58.640 --> 0:21:02.879 He does not act away from contact, and that should 0:21:02.880 --> 0:21:06.919 be no surprise given his background. So now what you 0:21:07.040 --> 0:21:10.919 have is you have Jamal Adams, you have Marcus May. 0:21:11.080 --> 0:21:14.280 Those are two versatile pieces. But you add this guy 0:21:14.359 --> 0:21:18.440 to the equation, you have the potential to use him 0:21:18.480 --> 0:21:21.880 as a big, big nickel. And what you like about 0:21:21.920 --> 0:21:26.159 the Jets defensive backs let's include Brian pull into the 0:21:26.200 --> 0:21:29.440 mix here, is that you can walk these guys down 0:21:29.600 --> 0:21:34.480 in the box, guys like Ashton Davis, Jamal Adams, Brian Poole, 0:21:34.800 --> 0:21:39.080 and you're not giving up anything with your run defense. 0:21:39.200 --> 0:21:42.280 And those guys can get over. A guy like Ashton 0:21:42.359 --> 0:21:44.439 Davis can get over a tight end and say, Okay, 0:21:44.520 --> 0:21:49.600 I got you. Yeah. I think that something you mentioned 0:21:49.640 --> 0:21:52.560 in terms of Marcus May is something that chat Alexander 0:21:52.600 --> 0:21:56.720 mentioned that Ashton Davis, Marcus May, and Ashton Davis both 0:21:56.760 --> 0:21:59.919 may not have maybe eye popping stats at the end 0:21:59.920 --> 0:22:02.440 of the day, but something that they both do very well, 0:22:02.720 --> 0:22:07.720 according to different people, is that they erase a lot 0:22:07.760 --> 0:22:10.439 of things, a lot of problems that your secondary might have, 0:22:10.520 --> 0:22:13.080 and they cover up a lot for the corners throughout 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:16.479 a play and something that I can only imagine Ashton 0:22:16.600 --> 0:22:20.399 Davis fully healthy, with Marcus May and Jamal Adams, what 0:22:20.600 --> 0:22:25.760 kind of pre snap manipulation Greg Williams will want to deploy. 0:22:25.800 --> 0:22:27.720 I think that at the end of the day, maybe 0:22:27.800 --> 0:22:30.320 safety wasn't the position a lot of Jets fans were 0:22:30.359 --> 0:22:33.520 thinking about in the third round because of guys like 0:22:33.640 --> 0:22:36.120