Cal's Ashtyn Davis Goes to Jets in 3rd Round of NFL Draft
Asthtyn Davis, the track star who walked on to the Cal football team was the first Bear selected in the NFL draft Friday when the New York Jets took him with the 68th overall choice, the fourth selection of the third round.
Davis, who was the Pac-12 high hurdles champion in 2017, walked on to the football team in the spring of 2015. He finally earned a scholarship and after a stellar senior season is now a pro.
“I was just excited obviously,” Davis said in a conference call when asked about his reaction when he heard his name called. “I don’t know how to describe it other than that. My hands were shaking. I didn’t expect myself to really get too nervous, but I did. It was awesome seeing my parents’ reaction and everybody’s reaction.”
Shortly after his selection he was on the phone with his new employers.
“There were a bunch of people on the conference call,” he said. “They passed the phone around, I spoke with pretty much everybody on the defensive side of the ball and the head coach.”
The New York media was quick to point to Davis’ selection as a sign the Jets were ready to dump starting free safety Marcus Maye, whose contract is up after the 2020 season. He has been with the Jets for three years. But Davis said he looked forward to learning from Maye and strong safety Jamal Adams
“They have dramatically improved their defense and played really well over the last couple of years,” Davis said. “I am excited to be behind two guys who know what they are doing and do it really well. I am going to do as much as I can to help out.
Because of his surgery that kept him out of Cal’s Redbox Bowl victory, Davis did not run the 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine. He intended the run at Cal’s pro day but that was canceled. The lack of a recent time combined with the uncertainty that goes with any surgery made Davis’ status uncertain going into the draft.
He obviously was able to convince the Jets he was A-OK.
Jets GM Joe Douglas tweeted, "We were looking for explosive guys, explosive playmakers."
Davis said he had remote conversations with 20 about 20 teams since the country shut down because of the coronavirus. He couldn’t recall if the Jets were one of them “But I had a really good meeting with them at the Combine,” he said. “So it isn’t that much of a surprise.”
No safeties were selected in the first round of the draft Thursday. Five were chosen in the third and Davis was the first taken in round 3.
Rounds four through seven are scheduled to take place Saturday morning (Pacific Time) and linebacker Evan Weaver and safety Jaylinn Hawkins the other two Bears invited to The Combine hope to be selected.
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