Southern Mississippi linebacker and Butkus
Award finalist Rod Davis will petition the NFL to find out where he might be
drafted if he skips his senior season and will then make his decision based on
the report he gets from the NFL in January. "If it is best for me and my
family, I'll go," Davis said.
Davis said if he's not projected as at least a
second-round pick, he will return for his senior season.
The 6-3, 236-pound junior had eight tackles in
the Golden Eagles' 24-7 victory over East Carolina Saturday. He entered the game
leading Conference USA in tackles with 13.4 per game and sacks with 11.
Southern Miss defensive coordinator Tyrone Nix
said he will submit Davis' name to an NFL advisory committee, which projects
which round players could be selected.
TFY Analysis: We reported this
story in our
"Locker Room"
notes on location from the Louisville-Southern
Miss game two weeks ago. Davis is a good linebacker and an athletic
prospect with a nice amount of upside potential for the future but presently
stands as a middle linebacker with the build of a weak side player. Right
now I'd be shocked if the report comes back showing he's a top 75 pick.