NFL Draft Diamonds Prospect Interview: C.J. Davis, WR, Shepherd University

 

Diamonds has been bringing our readers Prospect Interviews over the past 3 years and this year we mixed up the questions and added some fun questions for our readers. Our questions are designed to give our readers a little more insight on the player. We hope to bring you more than 350 interviews of NFL Draft Prospects this season. You will be able to track them all on the front page of our website in the banner to the right.  Now let’s meet the prospect!!!!

What is your name?

C.J. Davis

What is your Height/Weight?

5’9, 190 lbs.

What is your position?  

Wide Receiver

Where do you play college football?

Shepherd University

Football is about giving back, what is the coolest thing you have done off the field?

My sophomore season a few players and I counseled a group of disadvantaged elementary aged boys before playing a game of touch football with them. The coordinator of this activity personally acknowledged every player involved and thanked us for genuinely caring about the boys’ experience.

What was the hardest college class you ever had to take?

Communications and News Media, in which I had to create a news story from scratch including a mock interview and accompanying sound effects/background music.

Where are you from?

Hagerstown, Maryland

Who is your role model, and why?

Muhammad Ali, because he carried the self-confidence to promote his brand and become the best at his craft, while also being compassionate enough to use his platform to speak on issues involving the oppressed. 

Did you play any other sports growing up?

I played baseball until I was 12, ran track my senior year of high school, and played basketball from 4 years old to senior year of high school.

Did you play any other positions in football?

I am the all-time leader at Shepherd in combined kick/punt return yards with 3,065 and counting, including 3 kick return touchdowns and 4 punt return touchdowns. I also spent 3 seasons as a Cornerback, recording 7 INT, 32 Pass Breakups, 114 tackles (96 solo), 3 TFL, 1 Sack, and 1 fumble recovery.

At your position, what separates you from others?

I believe playing Cornerback at the collegiate level gives me a unique feel for what makes defensive backs uncomfortable when guarding routes, and can help me understand when to best stem my route and how to successfully challenge a player’s cushion and/or make them open their hips away from my break. As a corner I feel that I now understand what concepts can come from certain formations, and what to expect in certain down and distance situations, allowing me to take calculated risks, and to make pre-play adjustments with the rest of the secondary.

When you are breaking down film, what do you look for?

As a receiver I look for giveaways from certain players that can determine whether they are running the coverage they are lined up in or if it is a disguise, and how I can use that to adjust my route accordingly. As a corner, I look at tendencies that the QB may have that can give away where his progression will start, or things receivers do pre-play that show what they’re going to do at the snap.

Who was the toughest player you ever faced?

My sophomore season I played against a receiver from Concord University named T.J. Smith who was the fastest player I’ve competed with.

If you could compare your play to one player in the NFL who would it be and why?

As a receiver I would say Dexter McCluster, because I can be used in various ways to get the ball in space and I feel that I can use my speed and shiftiness to turn ordinary plays into momentum shifters. As a corner I would say Brent Grimes because I use my athleticism and ball skills to eliminate size issues.

What was the biggest obstacle in your life you had to overcome, and how did you overcome it?

Size. I overcame it by embracing it and sharpening all other facets.

Do you have any pre-game rituals?

None come to mind, I’m not very superstitious.

What is your biggest strength?

Vision and play-making ability.

What is your biggest weakness?

Not using perfect technique.

If I were a GM and gave you a second to sell yourself, what would you say?

I am a fast learner and whatever I am lacking at the moment I will take the proper steps and coaching to fix it. I don’t believe in being extraordinary at one thing and decent at another, instead I try to make everything as proficient as possible.

Who was your favorite player and/or NFL team growing up?

Mike Vick until I was too short to keep playing QB.

If you could have dinner with three people dead or alive, who would you choose?

Sigmund Freud, Da Vinci, Jesus

What will be the first big item you buy once you are in the NFL?

A house for my mom.

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