CAN MARCUS DAVENPORT ANSWER THE DETROIT LIONS CALL? FILM STUDY/COMMENTARY #lions #detroitlions #nfl

[Music] this video is going to be a look at the potential impact of free agent signing Marcus staven port for the Detroit Lions in 2024 the lions are operating with a ton of cap space still I think it's 32 million something like that my memory may not serve correct there so feel free to let me know in the comment section what the actual number is but it's a ton of money that's out there on available to the front office right now it would be been the best interest if Marcus Davenport can return to the fully healthy version that produced nine sacks in 2021 regardless of what you call the position defensive end outside linebacker Edge Defender where the Lions need someone to succeed on the opposite side from aen Hutchinson is in obvious passing Downs when the offense is most often going to be an 11 personnel someone over there to the right hand side's going to be lined up in a nine technique or a wide five same thing regardless of what you call it Marcus Davenport sounds like right now in in training C is playing really well they addressed the position through that free agent signing he's got 23 and a half sacks in his career I think he was a number 14 I think it was a first round pick I think it was number 14 or maybe 16 still only 27 years old interestingly enough he he once ran a 458 459 40 yard dash something like that his R score was really high going into the 2018 NFL combine I didn't produce NFL content at that point in time for the Ravens certainly not for the Lions but it makes sense that Dan Campbell who was in New Orleans during those first couple of years when Davenport played and played well he was the tight end Coach assistant head coach at that time he knows Davenport really well could this be a home run for for Brad could it be a triple or a double I'll say this if you get the 2021 version of Davenport who is 6'6 260 265 lbs running a 4640 playing as violent as some of the film you'll see here yes it could be a home run or a triple or maybe a really solid double that clears the bases do I think that that's the version that Detroit has right now in 2024 no I I can't say that definitively there's no film for us to see we've got film from 2021 that I'll show you two clips I think from 2022 and I will cover extensively the two games he played a lot of snaps in in 2023 and actually played quite well as an aside I saw him play in 2024 22 excuse me when the Ravens went down to New Orleans and beat the Saints by two touchdowns in fact Davin played a lot of snaps that year overall and a lot of snaps that night that game only produced half a sack all year in 2022 that was after putting up nine sacks 16 quarterback hits and three fumbles forced in 2021 so which version do you get you certainly hope for the guy that can give you eight or 10 sacks on the right side opposite aen Hutson that that would be amazing that's exactly what this team needs and to be able to get that done for oneyear $6.5 million contract there is some pressure there I think there's some pressure there for Davenport probably some pressure there for the front office as well for him to perform staying healthy is the first step clearly towards production he'll get snaps on that right side particularly on early Downs I will tell you based on the Limited film from 2023 with the Vikings I do see a lot of upside and the the potential the talent is still there certainly a guy who plays with a lot of violence particularly with his hands we'll get into some of the film here again this will be 2021 film to highlight the ceiling I guess that you have there for $6.5 million for one season it's interesting to me also the Vikings are paying almost as much in dead cap think actually more a little slightly more 6.7 6.8 million than the lions are paying him in the first place if you just look at the stats and judge talent and gameplay and potential impact that way you'd say 6 and a half million seems like too much for Marcus Davenport after the last two years 2022 and 202 3 you got little to no production in terms of sacks two and a half total and quarterback hits only 12 between his final year with the Saints and his one year in Minnesota there's just there's just not much statistical data to make you excited again if you're a person who only relies on stats to indicate potential impact if you get one Sack or less or even four sacks or less for $6.5 million dollar to use a baseball reference it's that's probably a swinging strikeout the force and the core strength that he played with in week four against the Panthers week five against the Chiefs that will be a good enough version to justify that contract if you ask me he plays through contact really well he's someone who when a guard or a tackle makes contact as he's winning against another player they can't dislodge him he's got great core strength for being a guy who's 6'6 he didn't play after week six in 2023 however he was injured on a third down down near the goal line against the Bears again all the film that I'm going to focus on to break down for you is against the the Panthers and the Chiefs week four and five he played with equal force and and disruption in both games indicating to me that there's the potential is still there now can he be the guy that you're seeing roll through the film here nine sacks in 2021 I'm not so sure to be honest with you I don't think he's a pure pass rush guy out on the edge I would liken the pure pass rush guys to well Aiden hutchon and others who who can I would compare them to basketball players who can just ISO they can just isolate you on one side and take you and either pull up for a mid-range jumper or get all the way to the basket and make something good happen for themselves or for other people I'm not sure that Davenport is that guy from a nine technique or wide five if there's no tight end over there based on the film from the two games I have from 2023 I would say he's not an ISO guy out on the edge who can just give you 10 sacks organic now have to mention the violence he plays with you can see it in these clips here I think you can tell 2021 he was extremely healthy if this is what the Lions coaches are seeing in Camp right now you can understand their excitement and and their willingness to talk about it he's an incredible downhill player when he's healthy when he's playing with significant aggression I guess is a way to put it one other thing to think about is is one of the seasons when Dan Campbell was there in New Orleans 2019 Davenport had 51 quarterback pressures I think it was third in the in the NFL at that point in 2021 the first year that Campell comes to Detroit Davenport puts up the nine sacks and 42 quarterback pressures they think as a front office and Dan Campbell that the talent is still there I I do believe it's it's better suited for him to be inside on Pass Downs if they have another pure pass rush guy off on that right side and look Davenport could end up being the best player over there I think the the ceiling for this Detroit defense in pass rush obvious pass rush situations has Marcus Davenport kicked inside a healthy Marcus Davenport kicked inside on Third and seven third and eight and someone else who's better as a speed rusher outside rusher attacking the left tackle over there off the right hand side of the defense he's really good on stunts he's very smart and Savvy with his timing on when to execute twist stunts when he wants to attack downhill some of the bull rushes you saw he plays downhill he's carried blockers with him at times in film from 21 22 and 23 I can see him playing inside more if James Houston of four can give you anything resembling his rookie season of 2022 now Matthew Betts is the CFL player who had I think 18 sacks last year up north you've also got Josh Pascal who's like a hybrid dend dettle guy I think if he's going to be playing out there at the edge quote it'll be on first or second down in to the boundary Derk Barnes another player who spend some time as a Sam linebacker either kicked down to the line of scrimmage or walked back as an inside linebacker like the old school 4-3 Sam it would be great I think the best situation is if Davenport plays to his potential and he's healthy he has film recent film from 2023 that will go over in a moment of him being really good against a run and having an impact against in pass rush situations you will see him lined up on on the inside significantly in this in this film here we'll start off a week four against the Panthers from 2023 his number zero for the Vikings understand to be wearing 92 for the Lions first of all he's he's very good at playing half a man this case he's lined up in a wide five pass rush situation and then takes on the left guard and his second engagement tells me a lot about his athleticism while he's playing downhill he's able to get extension he's got super long arms I have no idea what they measured at necessarily doesn't get credit for the sack here I don't know what he measured at um for the combine in 2018 but he's got all the size all the athletic attributes from a speed standpoint if he's healthy and explosive and can can do these types of things that you're seeing in some of this film from last year from less than a year ago by the way you should be excited as a lions fan here he is against the Right Guard very good timing and understanding I'd like to him see him take the Right Guard back a little bit further here he's allowing the defensive end the The Edge rusher if you will on the right hand side of our screen 90 to basically pick the Right Guard the defensive end actually misses I'd like to see me personally I'd like to see Davenport bring the Right Guard back further here but he's waiting for the pick that misses he actually runs into a teammate and then Daven Port cleans it up I mean that's by Design he's a veteran at this point even though he's I mean he's 27 years old he's still young I can say he's young because I'm old he's a guy who's lined up everywhere just in the two games that I've seen from 2023 and seems seems to have a really good idea of not just what to do but when to do it timing is is a factor in some of these past rush situations third down again lined up on the inside Hunter who since signed with the Texans obviously is over on the other side his moves against the guards on the inside I think is what's notable whether it's against the Chiefs or against the Panthers looks like a guy to me that the that the lion staff saw and said okay if we can if James Houston the four can be James Houston I fourth again in 2024 I would love to do a video on him you guys know that obviously cuz I'm a huge fan but I'm going to wait I'm going to have have patience until he does some things in 2024 that allows me to stay up all night and do that but the quickness and the violence that he plays with the well-defined hand movements timing on it I mean I understand the level of talent that he's dealing with here against the Panthers they did not have a good offensive line even some of their players that were supposed to be good didn't end up being so another third and eight this one's smooth going against the same left guard again spin move doesn't gain as much ground perhaps but he knows what he's doing he reminds me of an NBA player who's good at everything or a major league baseball player who's a four tool player is really good at everything he does Davenport being 66 26265 with some explosion has all of the traits former first round pick pick as I mentioned twice before I think that the Lions front office has to be given credit for making this move with all of the cap space that they had available and still do have available it's an even better move it's an even more astute signing if you ask me for certain teams like my Ravens who have far less cap space it probably would not have been as as solid a move just because we had such limited space the lions are still sitting on 32 or 33 million I just looked it up a little bit bit ago almost Filthy Rich with cap space the last play that I'll show you from that week four game I think tells you about his range his length now I understand that Bryce young did not have a good season as a rookie he's also very short for a quarterback not a great fan of his technique here he's trying to get rid the ball to Hurst um in the slot real quick Davenport has the ability to disrupt multiple things the width of the field and with his height with his arm length I like the signing do I think they're going to get eight or 10 sacks out of him I have no idea but when you look at the 2023 film I encourage you to go back and do so independent of what I'm saying you'll see a guy who can still play he plays extremely aggressively against tight ends and often case physically dominates them this is the ensuing week against the Chiefs going to be lined up against the left guard kind of running the inverse of of one of the stunts I showed you against Carolina he's going to be the guy getting up field such that 98 can fit underneath late ends up Trucking the left tackle getting a quarterback hit on momes unfortunately it's the type of thing that Patrick Mahomes does he completes it for a 12 yard pass to the tight end Noah gray I almost think Davenport would be better served in like a three-point stance or a three and a half some people call it a three and a half it's almost a four point stance I have seen him in that stance in 2021 showed you some of those plays I feel like he plays a little bit more downhill a little bit more sudden in those moments but one thing there is no doubt about is he kicks the out of tight ends in the Run game and the pass game it's consistent is too big and too strong and too explosive again I I'm presuming that here in week five he's healthy he got hurt week six on a third down play in the second quarter against the Bears I believe if you're able to get him lined up against tight ends whether it's to the boundary to the field you're going to win that matchup it's just a fact all the film from 2023 and 2021 that I've looked at and and even the two games I had from 2022 looked like a guy who you line up to the tight end side if they're knock going to motion and you say we're going to win that matchup well you've already got one of those guys in Hayden Aiden Hutchinson over to the other side one of the situations that I think kind of illustrates where he'd be better served or maybe a little bit more explosive if he's in a three and a half or a three-point stance if you're not familiar with three and a half your your second hand is is basically brushing the ground or just off of the ground Some people prefer a three and a half Some people prefer fourpoint St stance a traditional three-point stance I'm not a huge fan of him in this two-point stance I feel like his his explosiveness is diminished somewhat now maybe it's the scheme maybe it's the call on the defensive play at times but to me I noticed the pattern not sure how many times this happens to go down as a sack for him against Mahomes he did have one sack in this game I think three or four quarterback hits two other disruptive plays against the passes an incomplete pass on a third and six we'll give you some film of Davenport against the run here dealing with with tight ends you can see the obvious mismatch that that he provides against tight ends he's physically manhandles some of these guys occasional situations you'll see tight ends and receivers trying to double him or combo him often times it's it's an annoyance to certain DN the bigger guys 66 265 like Marcus Davenport I got to think that he uh he looks at and he's licking his chops because it's a guy who gets full extens on tight ends and when it's a tight end receiver combo tightly aligned to try to deal with him I've never seen you know movement such that running backs are able to to find a lane he's a violent individual I hope he I I hope for his sake and lions fan sakes in the team that he's fully healthy because he's a devastating player against tight ends you got to get the three technique uh two his side obviously you have it here actually it's almost a split 40 look by the Vikings with with two dual three techniques but you can see how aggressive he is how assertive with tight ends occasionally is the hand placement slightly high well he is 6'6 I don't think that in in run situation or excuse me third down situations you're going to get much of this where he's lined up inside so third and three for Carolina they end up running the football I think he's really intelligent and the last play that I'll show you I'll try to use as proof of that this is pro twins it's 11 personnel you have to trust me Kelsey's going to I from right to left on our screen right to left for the offense so he's going to widen Marcus Davenport up and the way they do this is you've got an additional Gap here C Gap that Davenport is not responsible for Harrison Smith is responsible for we'll let the play flow through multiple times when he decides to take a tight end down the tight end's going to go where he wants him to go this is a situation I think that illustrates his intelligence and he understands who he's dealing with as a running back Pacho is a slick extremely explosive player as a running back watch how Davenport holds the SE Gap against Kelce doesn't condense it too much to possibly give Pacho the option to bounce it kind of forces him to come downhill which is the design of the play where Harrison Smith fits it there kind of maybe should have give wish I'd given you the um the all 22 of this off screen you have Sky Moore the receiver who's assigned to block the safety in this case Smith is triggered now this is his Gap C Gap inside Davenport's got dgap outside the tight end and once he does see the Run commit he's able to take Kelsey down there look this is a smart signing from a potential standpoint what he can provide if he's healthy it sounds like he's healthy now but a week ago I think he was on the pup list so and he hasn't played I think more than 13 G I think he's played more than 13 games once in his career maybe twice you've certainly had a lot of injuries 2022 2023 that he's dealt with if you get the version of Marcus Davenport that's really healthy really motivated should he be on the field for 45 50 60 snaps a game no I don't think so I think you're looking at a guy who should play 38 to 40 snaps a game by Design early down situations be your Edge Defender off the right hand side for the defense left hand side of the offense on passing situations to me it looks as if he'd be better served to be kicked inside to allows guys like Houston or whoever wants to play on the outside to rush the passer I think they've got a lot of options I don't think that barns is a guy in terms of a pass rusher but he's extremely versatile and a guy who I think should be on the field as many Downs as you can get him out there Davenport I think falls into the same umbrella you want to get him on the field but with his injury history I think they should curtail him somewhat because it is a 17 Game season hopefully for the Lions it's a 20 or 21 Game season obviously you guys have to let me know first of all what your thoughts were when they signed Davenport what your thoughts are now that he is is practicing they're fully padded and apparently he's playing extremely well there's no film of it I wish I had film to to show you we certainly will not not get any film of him playing in the preseason that will be a waste of time you have a guy who's a proven NFL Talent former first round pick large human being you can see him standing next to other Edge Defenders DNS in practice you can see some of the pictures particularly that the Lion's website has put up and Davenport's a big dude he's just as big as Hutchinson maybe even a little thicker if he can give you anything close to the guy that you saw week four and week five against the Panthers and the Chiefs and you can get 38 40 maybe occasionally 45 snaps out of him and someone from my perspective hopefully James Houston the fourth can be your attack style rusher on third down obvious passing situations think you got the best of both worlds for 6 and A5 million do you think it's worth it I do I think it's a calculated risk his injury history is significant it looks to me like in a 17 Game season he's a player who would get hurt and miss some time is it going to be three games four games five games or two who knows in any case I appreciate appreciate you guys time let me know what you think of the video and my my thoughts and the way I tried to break down the film for you you know in the comment section and if you think other Lions fans would enjoy this film study commentary look at Marcus Davenport and and the potential that is there still I think the film from less than a year ago kind of proves that the potential is there maybe the health will not be but if you think other Lions fans would enjoy it then please consider grabbing a link to this video sharing out on social media to help this content give more reach