Jordan Davis 40 time: Reliving Georgia DT's freaky combine that set NFL Draft stock ablaze

Jacob Camenker

Jordan Davis 40 time: Reliving Georgia DT's freaky combine that set NFL Draft stock ablaze image

Jordan Davis got a lot of love for his performance during the 2021 college football season. The Georgia defensive tackle was considered one of the best defenders in the sport and even got some Heisman buzz, finishing ninth place in the voting.

That said, there were still some questions about whether Davis would be a strong playmaker at the NFL level. Teams knew that he was big but with minimal pass-rush production to his name, teams wondered if he would just be a two-down role player.

Davis put that notion to bed at the 2022 NFL Combine. He pieced together one of the most remarkable performances in combine history and proved to be an elite athlete for his size.

Just how good was Davis' combine performance? Here's a look at the combination of size and speed he showed off during athletic testing and the on-field drills.

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Jordan Davis height & weight

Davis started the combine well during his measurements. The big-bodied Georgia defender measured in at 6-6 and tipped the scales at 340 pounds. At the minimum, NFL teams knew that he would be a lane-clogger and a run stuffer. And if he could show good athleticism, he would have a chance to be a true, three-down playmaker at the NFL level.

During his combine workout, Davis was able to do that with ease. His dominance of the drills began when he blazed one of the most improbably fast defensive tackle 40-yard dashes in combine history.

Jordan Davis 40 time

Davis was able to run the 40-yard dash in just 4.78 seconds. Below is a look at his lone run in the event, which unofficially clocked 0.04 seconds slower than his actual time.

Davis' blazing-fast run was good for the second-best mark among defensive tackles who participated in the 40-yard dash. Only his teammate at Georgia, Devonte Wyatt, ran faster than him, beating Davis with a 4.77 40-yard dash. Wyatt only outperformed Davis by 0.01 seconds despite being three inches shorter and 33 pounds lighter than his teammate.

It's also worth noting that Davis recorded a 10-yard split of 1.68 seconds. That placed him in the 85th percentile among all players to run the 40-yard dash, per PFF's Trevor Sikkema.

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Jordan Davis combine stats

Davis didn't just find success during the 40-yard dash. He continued to dominate the combine throughout the other athletic tests as well as the on-field drills in which he participated.

Below is a rundown of Davis' combine profile, which earned him comparisons to Haloti Ngata from NFL.com's Lance Zierlein.

Height Weight 40 time 10-yard split Vertical Broad
6-6 340 lbs. 4.78 sec. 1.68 sec. 32 in. 128 in.

Davis' performance was nothing short of spectacular, and his numbers prove it. He posted an exceedingly rare 10 in Kent Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Score (RAS) metric, which measures the athleticism of a player compared to other players at the position. A 10 is the highest score an athlete can get.

Just how good is Davis' athleticism? Platte's database has more than 17,000 players in it. Comparatively, the only player more athletic than Davis at his respective position is Calvin Johnson.

That's some good company to keep, and his athletic ability certainly helped his draft stock improve.

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Jordan Davis draft stock

Just where might Davis be drafted? He was always considered a first-round pick even before the 2022 NFL Combine, as he was one of the most impactful interior defenders in college football last season. He racked up 32 tackles and two sacks, so all he had to do was show that he could be a great pass rusher at the next level.

Davis did that successfully by testing well at the combine. He has the athleticism needed to be a great three-down player, and that helped heat up his stock. Now, it seems like his absolute floor would be the 17th pick to the Chargers, but he will likely go earlier than that.

The Vikings (12), Ravens (14) and Eagles (15) represent the three most likely landing spots for Davis. He could sneak into the top 10 as well if the Seahawks are willing to take him with the No. 9 overall pick. Wherever the former Bulldogs star lands, he won't have to wait long to hear his name called during the 2022 NFL Draft.

Jacob Camenker

Jacob Camenker Photo

Jacob Camenker first joined The Sporting News as a fantasy football intern in 2018 after his graduation from UMass. He became a full-time employee with TSN in 2021 and now serves as a senior content producer with a particular focus on the NFL. Jacob worked at NBC Sports Boston as a content producer from 2019 to 2021. He is an avid fan of the NFL Draft and ranked 10th in FantasyPros’ Mock Draft Accuracy metric in both 2021 and 2022.