A.J. Davis

One of the quickest cornerbacks in the country, Davis is regarded as the Atlantic Coast Conference's top man coverage defender. He has drawn comparisons to former Clemson standout Tye Hill, according to opposing ACC coaches, for his ability to instantly change direction and close on the ball with suddenness. He has not only used his impressive quickness and leaping ability to excel on the football field, but was also a productive performer on the Wolfpack's track team. Davis was a Parade All-American cornerback at North Durham High School during his senior year, where he also competed as a receiver. Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report, a scouting service that also awarded Davis with first-team All-American honors, ranked him the top cornerback in the nation. The North Carolina High School Athletics Association named him North Carolina's Male High School Athlete of the Year. TheInsiders.com rated Davis the 24th-best prospect in the nation, regardless of position and Prep Star/CBS SportsLine accorded him Top 125 Dream Team accolades as the third-best defensive back in the nation and the best defensive back in the Atlantic region. At the U.S. Army All-American Game, Davis was timed as the contest's fastest player, boasting a 4.28-second timing in the 40-yard dash. Rivals.com rated Davis the sixth-best cornerback in the national high school ranks. Davis had 42 receptions for 709 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. He also returned three kicks for touchdowns. At cornerback, he intercepted two passes and recorded 57 tackles as a senior. During his career, he registered six interceptions, as three were returned for touchdowns. As a junior, he caught 30 passes for 700 yards and 18 touchdowns and returned four punts for scores (three in one game vs. Orange County). In track, Davis set the state record in the long jump with a 24'10" leap. He was the 2002 NC Indoor Champion in the triple jump (48'1") and the long jump (24-0.5). Davis enrolled at North Carolina State in 2002. He was scheduled to line up second on the depth chart at left cornerback, but he fractured his right fibula in the Wolfpack's second preseason scrimmage on Aug. 14th and underwent surgery the next week. Davis would then spend the season rehabilitating while competing on the scout team as a medical hardship. As a redshirt freshman in 2003, Davis competed in 13 games, logging action in 403 plays. He recorded 34 tackles (25 solos) with a stop behind the line of scrimmage and a forced fumble. He deflected nine passes and intercepted two others. He posted six solo hits on special teams, where he also gained 130 yards on seven kickoff returns (18.6 avg). His coming out party was the Tangerine Bowl vs. Kansas, as he registered six tackles with an interception, three pass deflections and five kickoff returns for 108 yards, including two long runbacks that led to a pair of NC State touchdowns. Davis played in every game, starting vs. Clemson in 2004. He appeared in 365 plays, making 34 tackles (30 solos) with three more stops on special teams. He batted away six passes and recovered an onside kickoff for a 9-yard return while earning team Most Dependable Cornerback honors. He also competed on the school's 2004 indoor and outdoor track teams, where he finished fourth in the indoor long jump (23'8-1/4"), fourth in the indoor high jump (6'9"), third in the outdoor long jump (24'1/4") and seventh in the outdoor high jump (6'6"). Davis took over left cornerback duties for the Wolfpack in 2005. He was on the field for 748 plays, totaling 54 tackles (31 solos) with a 5-yard sack, 10 pass break-ups and a pair of interceptions. He was penalized nine times for pass interference, but allowed opposing receivers to catch only 25 passes in 12 contests. Davis was sidelined after playing in only 11 snaps vs. Appalachian State in the 2006 season opener due to a hamstring injury that kept him out of the next two contests vs. Akron and Southern Mississippi. The opposition averaged 224.0 yards passing vs. State with Davis out of the lineup. He returned to action vs. Boston College and produced 12 tackles (8 solos) with five pass deflections and assisted on a stop behind the line of scrimmage, as his main pass coverage assignment managed only four catches for 46 yards. With Davis on the field, the Wolfpack secondary allowed only 147.0 yards per game passing. In 40 games at North Carolina State, Davis started 16 times. He participated in 1,675 plays, recording 135 tackles (104 solos) with 1.5 sacks for minus-7 yards and five stops for losses of 14 yards. Thirty-six of his tackles came vs. the run, while 29 of his hits were produced on third-down plays. He added nine tackles (8 solos) on special teams and returned seven kickoffs for 130 yards (18.6 avg). He deflected 30 passes for his career, and in 17 games as a starter he prevented his main pass coverage assignment from getting to 26 other throws, including 10 on third-down plays. Davis gained 111 yards (27.8 avg) on four interception returns and 130 yards (18.6 avg) on seven kickoff returns.

positives

Has exceptional quickness and good lateral range...Shows above average leaping ability that he uses effectively to win most jump ball battles...Has loose hips to come out of his backpedal smoothly and does a very good job of flipping his hips to maintain relationship with the receiver throughout the routes...His agility and flexibility lets him stick tight with the receiver and despite his short arms, he is very capable of riding up his opponent to get to the ball at its high point...Alert to blocking schemes and it is rare to see him bite on head fakes or pump action by the quarterback...Quick to recognize the play developing and unlike most young cornerbacks, he will not eye the quarterback long, rather using his hand/eye coordination to mirror his coverage assignment throughout the route...Has that sudden burst to recover when a receiver manages to slip past him on crossing routes...Demonstrates the loose hips to come out of his breaks cleanly and has that quick change of direction agility to maintain his timed speed without having to throttle down...Has that natural, smooth turn and burst of speed that lets him catch up and close with good urgency...Possesses very good balance and body control in his pedal...Quick and smooth through transition and does a good job of distributing his weight to turn and run on the ball...Takes a quick pitter-patter approach in his pedal with very good heel pivot motion...Can sink his hips to turn and has very good balance coming out of his breaks...Is a master at reading the receiver's eyes and hips to maintain relationship in the route...Has excellent leaping ability and timing to know when to go vertical and beat the taller receiver for the ball at its high point...Rarely lets the receiver separate from him after the catch and even when that happens, he has the second gear and ability to take proper angles to shorten the field and close...Not only gets very good elevation, but he times his leaps to get to the ball at its highest point...Has no concerns about getting a piece of the ball when matching up against the taller receivers, sort of relishing the challenge of taking the vertical route to make the play while giving up considerable inches in height in the process...Much better making plays in space, where he can take angles to close...When taking on receivers, he will produce better pop than when having to square up at the line of scrimmage.

negatives

Could be a little more physical in his tackles vs. the run, but he does like to hit and while he's not a trained killer, he has the decent force behind his strikes to bring the ball carrier down...Won't see him be effective playing the press due to his size and short arms, but you will also rarely see him get burned or caught out of position due to his closing burst, acceleration and feel for the ball in flight...When he gets too aggressive in attempts to jam and reroute, needing to do a better job of taking arm swipes to prevent from getting knocked off-balance or losing a step when trying to get back into the play... Will get a little sloppy handling the switch-off when working in zone coverage, needing to compensate by using his burst to recover...Best served playing off the line, as he will have problems combating the receiver's arm-over action that his opponent knows he can use to escape Davis' attempts to jam...If an opponent latches onto Davis at the line of scrimmage, even with his good strength, he will struggle to disengage and get off blocks quick enough to make plays vs. the run inside the box...Will hit with good force, but is a low tackler who prefers to throw the shoulder and tends to lower his head to take down the opponent, causing some to just sidestep his attempted tackle.

2002: Did not play during the season after suffering a right fibula fracture on Aug. 14th in a scrimmage and underwent surgery one week later. AGILITY TEST Campus: 4.28 in the 40-yard dash...39-inch vertical jump...10'6" broad jump...24'10" long jump...330-pound bench press...365-pound power clean...10.56 100-meter dash...30-inch arm length...8 1/8-inch hands...Left-handed...18/23 Wonderlic score.

Attended Northern Durham (N.C.) High School, playing football for head coach Gary Merrill

Parade All-American cornerback during his senior year, where he also competed as a receiver

Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report, a scouting service that also awarded Davis with first-team All-American honors, ranked him the top cornerback in the nation

The North Carolina High School Athletics Association named him North Carolina's Male High School Athlete of the Year

TheInsiders.com rated A.J. the 24th-best prospect in the nation, regardless of position and Prep Star/CBS SportsLine accorded him Top 125 Dream Team accolades as the third-best defensive back in the nation and the best defensive back in the Atlantic region

At the U.S. Army All-American Game, Davis was timed as the contest's fastest player, boasting a 4.28 timing in the 40-yard dash

Rivals.com rated Davis the sixth-best cornerback in the national high school ranks

Had 42 receptions for 709 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior

Also returned three kicks for touchdowns

At cornerback, he intercepted two passes and recorded 57 tackles as a senior

During his career, he registered six interceptions, as three were returned for touchdowns

As a junior, he caught 30 passes for 700 yards and 18 touchdowns and returned four punts for scores (three in one game vs. Orange County)

In track, Davis set the state record in the long jump with a 24'10" leap

Was the 2002 NC Indoor Champion in the triple jump (48'1") and the long jump (24-0.5).

Communications major, with an emphasis on Media

Born 5/29/83

Resides in Durham, North Carolina.