Washington stood pat with the 19th pick in the draft Thursday night and filled a hole at linebacker by selecting Kentucky’s Jamin Davis.
Davis made 102 tackles in 10 games during his junior season. He was the selection for Washington over Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Virginia Tech offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw.
Davis after being selected by Washington: "Means a lot to me knowing I have defensive coaches on my coaching staff that have been there before.. have a lot of experience. Being able to learn from guys like that should help my game grow a lot." #NFLDrafthttps://t.co/6C8EjvKmzZ pic.twitter.com/hWMtXbizvr
— Megan Plain (@MeganPlain) April 30, 2021
Linebacker, offensive tackle and tight end were among the most pressing needs coach Ron Rivera’s team needed to fill. Starting linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis left in free agency.
Washington resisted the temptation to trade up for one of the top five quarterbacks. It cost Chicago a 2022 first-round pick to move up several spots for Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, a price Washington wasn’t willing to pay.
Rivera has a history of success drafting linebackers. Carolina took Luke Kuechly and Shaq Thompson during Rivera’s time there.
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