Big Little Texas: UTSA’s Marcus Davenport might be a first-round pick.

As I sit here on my friend Jeff’s couch, covered in dog hair, I’m finding it really strange that I’m writing a report on a player that went to The University of Texas at San Antonio. The program started in 2011 and had their first drafted prospect in 2016 when the Vikings selected tight end David Morgan in the 6th round.

This year, not only do they have a player that will be drafted, but they have a guy that will likely go in the first round: Marcus Davenport

Davenport is 6056 and weighs in around 255, with an estimated 40 time of 4.77.

He will be labeled as edge because he will likely be a 4-3 defensive end, or a 3-4 outside linebacker. I think he could be a target for the Cowboys at pick #19, but we learned last year that they shied away from T.J. Watt because he didn’t put his hand in the ground much in college. Like Watt, Davenport primarily operates in a 2-point stance, standing up off the edge, but he does have a little bit of experience playing with a hand in the ground in that 4-3 scheme that the Cowboys play.

Davenport is strong enough to set the edge in the run game, and can also supply some pass rushing ability. For a guy of his size, he does have a little bit of bend to get the corner. I would suspect that there will be many eyes on his 3-cone drill at the combine, which will be a real measure of how agile he can be around the corner.

Davenport is also a good player with his hands. He uses his hands to take on blocks, shocking the opposition and getting off the block. He uses his extremely long arms to prevent offensive lineman from getting their hands on him, which keeps him in control of the situation. There are times when he will play a little too high, but that’s something you’d expect every once in a while for a guy with his length. To top it all off, he’s kind of mean. Mean in that good football way, not steal your lunch money mean.

In this clip, notice the right arm extension to keep space between Davenport and the tackle, which allows him to perform the rip move with that same arm. You’ll also see the closing burst.

Here he is against my alma mater, showing off his bull rush. Notice how the speed turns into power. Also, take note that he’s rushing from a 2-point stance, something I feel the Cowboys will dock him for.

Here’s another clip—this one against Baylor—in which you’ll see Davenport show off his constant intensity and his fundamentals with his hand placement. Consequentially, the left tackle is jolted backwards.

In this clip, we’re showing off the speed rush. Notice the awareness to throw up his long arms to deflect the pass. I saw this a number of times on tape, where he wins but still can’t get to the quarterback, but still tries to affect the play by getting those arms up in the passing lanes.

There’s a lot to love about Marcus Davenport. There are concerns as well. Some will look at level of competition, but that’s not a big deal for me. He played Texas A&M in 2016, and the games I watched on tape were FIU, UAB, Baylor, Louisiana Tech, Southern Miss, and, of course, a very talented North Texas squad.

There are times when he plays too high, times when he is off balance, and those are probably a product of each other. The combine times and measurements will be crucial for this prospect.

Round Grade: 2. It’s a high 2 though. Despite that, I think he’ll go in the Top 20 of the 2018 draft and he’s someone the Cowboys should pay careful attention to when doing their evaluations.

Watching the film on a small school Texan was pretty fun, especially when they exhibit the traits and aggression that Marcus Davenport does. I’d love to see what you think in the comment box. Also, why not add some other Texas-themed questions for you to ponder? What is your favorite Texas city? Who is your favorite Texas musical band/artist? Who shot J.R.?

Rock on, everybody!

Kevin “KT” Turner is on the Ben and Skin show on 105.3 The Fan. He can be heard every M-F from 3-7pm. You can follow KT’s fun tweets @ktfuntweets. Kevin also wants you to know that he loves you.