Washington Redskins Training Camp Profile: WR Robert Davis

What Robert Davis needs to show at Redskins training camp

In case it hasn’t been said yet, Davis is an insane athlete. He was invited to the NFL Combine back in 2017, and despite sizing up at around 6-foot-3, 220 pounds, he ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, logged a 4.28 shuttle time and a 6.82 three-cone time, leapt 41.0 inches in the vertical jump, and tacked on 19 bench reps for good measure.

For a player with average size like Darvin Kidsy, a 41-inch vertical jump is very impressive. For a 6-foot-3, 220-pound specimen like Davis, it’s almost generational. Davis possesses a very uncommon physical profile, one that few Redskins receivers, if any, can come close to matching.

That said, there’s a lot more to receiving besides athletic ability. Route nuance is essential, as is timing with footwork. Receivers must work to avoid telegraphing their movements with subtle upper body habits. The best receivers aren’t always the most athletic, but instead the quickest and most workmanlike with their technique. Being a good athlete helps, but it’s not the end game.

The thing Davis has going for him is this: He’s not a good athlete. He’s an extraordinary athlete. First and foremost, he has to show that he’s one-hundred percent, and that his broken tibia isn’t affecting his movement at all, this late into the recovery process. Once, and if, he proves that, then the next step for Davis is to combine his physical prowess with the nuance of the receiver position. He must keep adding to his skill set, and building off of his natural traits, because his foundation is so well-built, eventually, he can surpass all others.

Of course, these stories rarely end as unequivocal successes. The best athlete in football wouldn’t last long if they never improved upon their craft. Davis has very exciting potential. But he has a lot of ground to gain, and not a lot of time to do it.