Vernon Davis

Infobox NFLactive
name=Vernon Davis

---

caption=Vernon Davis (left) during his tenure with the Maryland Terrapins, in a game against Clemson.
width=200
currentteam=San Francisco 49ers
currentnumber=85
currentpositionplain=Tight End
birthdate=birth date and age|1984|1|31
birthplace=Washington, D.C.
country=USA
heightft=6
heightin=3
weight=253
debutyear=2006
debutteam=San Francisco 49ers
college=Maryland
draftyear=2006
draftround=1
draftpick=6
pastteams=
*San Francisco 49ers (2006-Present)
statweek=17
statseason=2007
statlabel1=Receptions
statvalue1=72
statlabel2=Receiving yards
statvalue2=774
statlabel3=Receiving average
statvalue3=10.8
statlabel4=Receiving TDs
statvalue4=7
nfl=DAV785142

Vernon Leonard Davis (born January 31, 1984 in Washington, D.C.) is an NFL tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. Vernon is nicknamed Duke because he looks identical to his father, whose name is Duke. College teammates later changed his nickname to "The Duke," and "Cyborg", a nickname earned playing for the Maryland Terrapins. Vernon chose to attend the University of Maryland over Florida, Purdue, Miami, and Virginia. He was drafted by the 49ers in the 1st round (6th overall) in the 2006 NFL Draft and the 49ers signed him to a deal that made him the highest paid tight end in the National Football League (5 years, $23 million). He joined Kellen Winslow II (2004 NFL Draft) as the third highest tight end ever drafted after Ron Kramer (Green Bay, No. 4 in 1957) and Mike Ditka (Chicago, No. 5 in 1961).

Early years

Davis attended Dunbar High School in Washington, D.C., and was a letterman in football, basketball, and track & field. In track & field, he was the DCIAA champion in the high jump with a jump of 6'5".

FootballDavis played primarily tight end and safety but he also played wide receiver, kick returner, linebacker and defensive end. In his senior season he caught 21 passes for 511 yards and 5 touchdowns. He, however, missed three games with a deep bone bruise below his knee. He also caught three two point conversions and returned two kick offs and two punts for touchdowns. He has 35 receptions for 385 yards as a junior.

High School Football Awards
*Selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
*Rated as the third-best tight end in the nation by ESPN.com's Tom Lemming
*A member of SuperPrep's Elite 50 and that publication's 39th-rated player nationally
*A Mid-Atlantic all-region pick by SuperPrep and the third-best player (at any position) in the region
*Second team All-USA by USA Today
*Ranked as the fourth-best tight end in the nation and the seventh-best player (overall) in the Atlantic East by Rivals.com
*First team All-Met by The Washington Post
*Gatorade Player of the Year for the District of Columbia

College career

In 2003, Davis saw the most consistent action of any true freshman, playing in all thirteen contests. He had five receptions for 87 yards (11.8 avg) and led the kickoff coverage unit with eight solo tackles.

In 2004, he played in every game, starting at H-back vs. Northern Illinois University, Duke University, Georgia Tech, Clemson University, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest University. He finished second on the team with 27 catches for 441 yards and had 16.3 avg and three touchdowns.

In 2005, Davis was a Consensus All-American and All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection. He became the first Maryland player since center Bob Pellegrini in 1955 to earn first-team All-American honors from the Associated Press. He was only the eleventh overall All-American first-team pick in school annals. He was a finalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end. He started every game, leading the team with 51 receptions and the conference with 871 receiving yards (17.1 avg). His catch and run vs Florida State is one of the most impressive feats of brute strength ever accomplished. His six touchdown catches rank tenth on the school’s season-record list. His 51 receptions also rank tenth on the Terps’ annual record chart while his 871 yards rank fifth. He was graded 82.5% for blocking consistency as he registered 67 knockdowns, including 18 blocks down field and had eight touchdown-resulting blocks.

Davis was heavily involved with working out in college. He set school strength records (in spring of 2005) for a tight end in the bench press (465 pounds), power-clean (355 pounds), index (797 pounds) and squat (685 pounds). He finished his college career with 1371 yards on 83 receptions for a gaudy 16.5 yards per catch, the best average of any first round tight end ever and more yards than other previous high first round tight ends Tony Gonzalez, Jeremy Shockey, Kyle Brady and Kellen Winslow II.

He majored in art studio.

NFL career

2006 NFL Draft

Davis was selected 6th overall in the 1st round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the 49ers. He was the top tight end prospect in the NFL Draft, partially due to a strong performance at the scouting combine. He ran the 40 yard dash in 4.38 seconds, which was faster than most wide receivers and most running backs that ran at the combine. It is believed to be the fastest time ever recorded by a tight end, surpassing Benjamin Watson's 4.44, and has been confirmed as being the fastest time by a Maryland tight end. His display of physical tools at the combine likely improved his draft status, as Davis also led all tight end prospects with 33 bench press reps at 225 lbs., broad jump of 10 feet 8 inches and a 42" vertical jump.

Leading up to the draft, Vernon, along with fellow prospects A. J. Hawk and Jeremy Bloom, appeared in ads for Under Armour's new line of football cleats, with the slogan "Click Clack" (I think you hear us coming).

:("*represents NFL Combine")

an Francisco 49ers

2006 rookie season

Vernon's first reception in the NFL was a 31 yard TD catch, against the Arizona Cardinals on September 10, 2006. [http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=3638&line=72948&spln=1] . He added a career-long 52 yard TD against the Packers on December 10 on a short catch and long run after the catch. Davis played in 10 games in the 2006 season due an injury he suffered on September 24, 2006. He sustained a hairline fracture to his left fibula, on a non-contact play against the Philadelphia Eagles, but returned on November 19 against the Seattle Seahawks. For the season, he had 265 yards receiving on 20 catches, averaging 13.2 yards per reception. He also had 3 receiving touchdowns.

2007 season

In Week 3, Davis was injured while attempting to catch a pass from quarterback Alex Smith vs. the Steelers. Davis sprained his right knee and missed the next two games. Despite his injury and the 49ers offensive ineptitude, Davis bettered most of the numbers from his rookie season. Even though his yards per reception diminished, he finished the season with 52 receptions for 509 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Personal

Davis was an Art Studio major at Maryland. He is nicknamed “Duke”. He is the son of Jacqueline Davis. Davis' younger brother, Vontae, is currently a cornerback for the University of Illinois.Davis is in the music video for Get Lo by Ron Artest and Mike Jones

Davis was featured in article of Muscle & Fitness magazine.http://www.muscleandfitness.com/feature/144

References

External links

* [http://www.vernondavis85.net Vernon's Official Website]
* [http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7755 Vernon Davis @ ESPN.com]
* [http://www.footballsfuture.com/2006/prospects/vernon_davis.html NFL Draft Prospect: Vernon Davis]
* [http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/DaviVe00.htm Pro Football Reference: Vernon Davis]
* [http://www.nflfans.com/x/2006/showplayer.php?key=Vernon+Davis*Vernon Davis Prospect Profile]
* [http://www.nfl.com/players/playerpage/409254 Vernon Davis's Profile on NFL.com]
* [http://www.49ers.com/team/roster_detail.php?PRKey=70 49ers Player Bio]