This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah State corner Will Davis had a rough start to his week of practice at the Senior Bowl, but as the days went on, various media observers pointed out that he improved.
He took the biggest step on the last day, getting an interception and returning it 25 yards during the Bowl itself. It was one of the signature defensive plays for the North, which ended up falling 21-16.
Although BYU's Ezekiel Ansah took home top honors as the games' most outstanding player, Davis held his own in competition. Yahoo! took a moment to talk with him after the game.
Utah State cornerback Will Davis not only grabbed an interception and returned it 25 yards, but showed some nice hitting ability for his size (5-foot-11, 182 pounds).
"They wanted us to come out here and be physical," Davis said of the Oakland Raiders' staff, who coached the North team. "That's what they wanted to see, and you're never going to have this experience again."
Part of the experience that helped Davis was that the North cornerbacks were very strong all the way through the lineup. Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant and Florida International safety Jonathan Cyprien had especially strong weeks, and that made Davis and his comrades even more intent on keeping pace.
Many NFL Draftniks concentrate on the padded practices and drills rather than the game itself, which led Eagles' blogger Tony Pauline to label Davis a "Stock down" candidate after some subpar showings early in the week.
Still, Davis is viewed as an early round talent. Packers.com's Vic Ketchman called him one of the top corners in the Draft, and both ESPN and SI.com grade him as a top-100 to top-150 prospect.
Next up: The NFL Combine.
— Kyle Goon
Twitter: @kylegoon