Raekwon Davis: A Poor Man’s Richard Seymour?

Three years before current Dolphins head coach Brian Flores arrived in New England as an intern and scouting assistant, the Patriots made 6’6” 317 pound Georgia defensive lineman Richard Seymour the sixth overall pick of the 2001 draft. In eight years with New England, Seymour went to five Pro Bowls and was named to the NFL’s All Decade team for the 2000’s. Of course, he also won three Super Bowls, but we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here. Going into the final year of his contract in 2008, the Patriots traded him to the Oakland Raiders, receiving a first round pick in return, and Seymour played four more seasons in Oakland, went to two more Pro Bowls and amassed a total of 57 1/2 sacks in a star studded career that could eventually have him in the conversation for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Nineteen years after New England selected Seymour in the first round, the Dolphins, in Flores’ second year in Miami, selected 6’6 1/2, 323 pound Alabama defensive lineman Raekwon Davis in the second round, and, like probably every other Dolphin fan, I’m hoping he can have a career even remotely as productive as Seymour. There are some parallels; the two players are about the same size, are from the Southeast and both played in the SEC. They both have, on at least one occasion, also punched opposing players on the other team’s offense, Davis in college and Seymour when he was with the Raiders. Davis can claim to have done at least one thing that Seymour hasn’t: he was shot in the right leg in late August 2017, yet still managed to sack Florida State’s quarterback less than a week later.

Prior to his senior season at Alabama, Davis had been projected to go as high as the mid to late first round of the draft, but a Marino like (underachieving) final season in Tuscaloosa caused him to slide to the 56th overall pick, where Flores and Dolphins GM Chris Grier obligingly selected him. He’s got size, strength and good short area quickness, and also possesses the positional flexibility that Flores, like his former mentor, Bill Belichick, craves. Now, understand that in no way, shape or form am I suggesting that Davis will be anywhere near as successful in the NFL as Seymour was, but if he can’t be a poor man’s Richard Seymour, maybe he can be a homeless guy’s Richard Seymour. That’s the wrap for today, have a great week, everybody.