San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has spoken with California safety Ashtyn Davis, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. The conversation took place over the phone as the team prepares for the NFL Draft from April 23-25.
NFL team representatives are not allowed to meet face-to-face with draft prospects amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic. Conversations have been limited to phone calls and video conferencing software like FaceTime and Zoom.
Davis combined for 108 tackles, nine passes defensed, and six interceptions over his final two years with the Golden Bears.
"I've been playing the position for only like two-and-a-half years," Davis told NBC Sports Bay Area. "I feel like my best football is ahead of me. I think that's the best thing I can say about myself."
At the NFL Scouting Combine, the 6-foot-1 and 202-pound Davis had 14 reps in the bench press. Other measurables for Davis include an arm length of 30 1/2 inches and hands that measure 9 3/8 inches.
Davis, a Santa Cruz native, was asked if he ever envisioned playing for the 49ers.
"It's definitely crossed my mind before," he responded, "but like you said, like I've said, I'll be happy wherever I go. I can't wait to get settled in wherever my new home is and just get to work."
Below is the NFL.com draft profile bio on Davis:
Davis earned a scholarship in track at Cal and walked on to the football team. He has excelled in both sports. As a redshirt freshman in football, he was named the team's Most Valuable Special Teams Player and started the final three games at cornerback (25 tackles, three pass breakups). Davis was again the team's special teams MVP in 2017, co-leading the FBS with 39 kickoff returns and posting 826 yards on those returns (ranking ninth in the country). He also started six times at safety (33 tackles, one interception) that season, the position in which he would start all 13 games and gain honorable mention All-Pac 12 status as a junior (56 stops, 1.5 for loss, four interceptions with one pick-six, five pass breakups). Davis was a second-team all-conference pick as a senior (57 tackles, two interceptions, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles) in 12 games (11 starts). He missed the team's bowl game due to injury, however, and received a medical flag at the Senior Bowl. In track, Davis had many accomplishments, including winning the 2017 Pac-12 meet in the 110-meter hurdles and finishing third in the 2018 outdoor nationals in the 60-meter hurdles.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, who compares Davis to Tyvon Branch, wrote the following about Davis within his scouting report:
Late-comer to the game who has rare physical gifts that can't be taught but can be capitalized on. His instincts are just average right now, but he appears to have decent recognition skills. He just needs to trust what he sees. Learning to play under control in coverage and as a tackler will be the difference between being considered a good football player instead of an explosive athlete. The elite traits should get him drafted inside the first two days, but there are some boom/bust elements to his game right now. He should become a future starter at safety, but his size, length and speed could create interest in him as a potential cornerback conversion.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network wrote the following about Davis within his scouting report:
Player Summary - Ashtyn Davis projects best into a role as a Cover-2 free safety at the pro level. Davis has strong tackling skills on the back end and some effective reps dropping down into the box to play man to man in the slot, but he's generally lacking in run support in the box to be asked upon to play such a role with consistency in the pros. Too many bad angles and too many reps getting stuck to blocks negate his versatility. Putting him in primarily Cover 2 will allow his deep range to be more effective.
Measurables
Height: 6-1
Weight: 202 lbs.
Arm length: 30 1/2 inches
Hand length: 9 3/8 inches
NFL Scouting Combine
Bench press: 14 reps
| College Statistics | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Class | G | Solo | Ast | Tot | Loss | Sk | Int | ||||||||
| 2015 | California | FR | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||||||||
| 2016 | California | FR | 9 | 14 | 11 | 25 | 0.0 | 0.0 | -- | ||||||||
| 2017 | California | SO | 12 | 20 | 13 | 33 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1 | ||||||||
| 2018 | California | JR | 13 | 36 | 17 | 53 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2019 | California | SR | 11 | 32 | 23 | 55 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2 | ||||||||
| Total | California | 102 | 64 | 166 | 2.0 | 0.0 | 7 | ||||||||||
