Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis is getting leaner and meaner

Despite drawing some negative reviews coming out of Georgia for being too big to be a viable weapon versus the pass, Jordan Davis is one of the freakiest athletes in the NFL.

He can run faster than most quarterbacks, jump further than most offensive linemen, and at 341 pounds, weighs in at more than (almost) every other player in professional football or any professional sport really, save maybe sumo wrestling.

… for now, at least. That’s right, after earning a big-time payday the likes of which are typically handed out to players drafted in the first 15 tops, Davis has committed himself to losing some weight in order to become a leaner, meaner version of himself in a slimming but not too slimming midnight green uniform.

Foes of the Philadelphia Eagles, take notice; if Davis can trim down and somehow become even more athletic, the NFL is going to have a very big – though slightly less very big – problem on their hands.

Jordan Davis could have a bigger impact on the Philadelphia Eagles at 320.

Jordan Davis is hungry to make an impact with the Philadelphia Eagles – okay, last food joke, I swear.

Though he was seldom asked to rush the passer on money downs at Georgia, with his teammate and fellow first-round pick, Devonte Wyatt, more comfortable in that role, the Eagles didn’t trade up to select Davis 13th overall to be a stone-footed gargoyle capable of taking away inside runs and would. No, for Davis to become a Fletcher Cox-level contributor down the line, he needs to play like Fletcher Cox, aka a big-time, supersized interior lineman who can punch through holes, slide between guards and the center, and ultimately collapse the pocket from the middle out.

Fortunately, Davis has the athletic profile to be that player, as he outperformed Cox at virtually very single tested metric at the NFL combine; he just needs to become a super athlete capable of staying on the field versus a no-huddle offense without collapsing onto the field in exhaustion or faking an injury to get off the field without burning a timeout.

To his credit, Davis knows this, and by losing a few pounds, maybe dropping into the 320 range, his effectiveness could skyrocket.

During his final season at Georgia, Davis was on the field for 378 defensive snaps, which is 45 fewer than his on-field partner Wyatt. While few expect to see Davis as an every-down performer in 2022, as he will begin the season slotted in as the Birds’ DT 3 behind starters Cox and Javon Hargrave, for Davis’ selection in the first round to be “worth it” from a value standpoint, he really needs to be able to stay on the field on third downs, when teams are far less likely to run the ball and far more likely to drop back into coverage.

If he can clear that hurdle, well, then the Eagles have their new franchise tackle in the middle of their defense.

The Philadelphia Eagles like to build from the trenches out. They’ve drafted offensive linemen in the second round for two-straight years, traded up a time or two for big-time defensive tackles, and selected a half dozen linemen in the first round under general manager Howie Roseman. Jordan Davis, to his credit, is a member of that lineage and the biggest one at that, but for his status to match his stature, the biggest Bulldog Georgia had to offer might need to slim down ever so slightly in order to optimize his athleticism with improved conditioning.