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Derius Davis

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Derius Davis
No. 12 – Los Angeles Chargers
Position:Wide receiver
Return specialist
Personal information
Born: (2000-09-11) September 11, 2000 (age 24)
St. Francisville, Louisiana, U.S.
Height:5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High school:West Feliciana (St. Francisville)
College:TCU (2018–2022)
NFL draft:2023 / round: 4 / pick: 125
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 4, 2024
Receptions:15
Receiving yards:66
Rushing yards:118
Return yards:873
Total touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Derius Richaud Davis (born September 11, 2000) is an American professional football wide receiver and return specialist for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the TCU Horned Frogs before being selected by the Chargers in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft.

Early life

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Davis grew up in St. Francisville, Louisiana and attended West Feliciana High School, where he helped lead the Saints to a 3A state championship as a senior in 2017[1] and also starred in track, winning the 200-meter dash at the state meet.[2]

Rated as a 3-star prospect, Davis chose to play his college football at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas over a scholarship offer from Tennessee.[3] He enrolled at TCU in the summer of 2018.

College career

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Davis scored two touchdowns in his collegiate debut, the Frogs' 2018 season opener, a 55–7 home victory over Southern – first on a 12-yard reception and later on a 73-yard punt return.[4] In the regular season finale, his 24-yard touchdown reception from Grayson Muehlstein in the 4th quarter helped seal a home victory over Oklahoma State which earned TCU bowl eligibility and a trip to play Cal in the Cheez-It Bowl.[5] He ended his freshman campaign with 8 receptions for 104 yards.

After catching 11 passes for 151 yards as a sophomore in 2019, Davis took over primary punt return duties from Jalen Reagor as a junior in 2020. His second and third career punt return touchdowns came in road victories over Baylor[6] and Kansas.[7] In November, he once again came up with a clutch touchdown reception against Oklahoma State, scoring on a 71-yard pass from Max Duggan in the 4th quarter of the Frogs' 29–22 upset victory over the 15th-ranked Cowboys.[8]

Davis became a much more central part of TCU's offense in 2021, leading the Frogs with 36 receptions and placing second on the team with 536 receiving yards on the season. He set new career highs with 6 receptions and 106 yards in a home win against Kansas[9] and scored his first career kickoff return against West Virginia.[10]

Taking advantage of the NCAA decision to grant an extra year of eligibility to athletes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Davis elected to return to TCU for a second senior season in 2022. He scored the Frogs' first points of the season on a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, the fourth of his career, in the first half of the opener at Colorado.[11] In a late September road victory over crosstown rival SMU, Davis caught a short pass from Duggan and took it 80 yards for a touchdown. On the play, Davis was clocked at a top speed of 23.47mph – becoming the only player in all of college football or the NFL to break the 23 mph barrier in game play.[12] During TCU's 12–0 start to the season, Davis set a new career high with 7 receptions in a blowout win over 18th-ranked Oklahoma[13] and added touchdown receptions in come-from-behind victories over 19th-ranked Kansas,[14] 17th-ranked Kansas State[15] and Texas Tech. In the game against Tech, he also notched his fifth career punt return touchdown, an 82-yarder, to break the school record that was previously held by KaVontae Turpin.[16] At the conclusion of the regular season, he was named the Big 12 Special Teams Player of the Year.[17]

Professional career

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Davis was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 USFL draft by the Birmingham Stallions.[18]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 8+3⁄8 in
(1.74 m) 		165 lb
(75 kg) 		29+1⁄4 in
(0.74 m) 		8 in
(0.20 m)		 4.36 s 1.46 s 2.50 s 4.38 s 7.23 s 30.5 in
(0.77 m)		 9 ft 7 in
(2.92 m)		 17 reps
Sources:[19][20]

Davis was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the fourth round, 125th overall, of the 2023 NFL draft.[21]

In Week 9 during Monday Night Football against the New York Jets, Davis returned a punt 87 yards for a touchdown, leading to the Chargers winning 27–6, earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance.[22] He was named to the PFWA NFL All-Rookie Team.[23]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2023 LAC 17 2 15 66 4.4 18 0 14 101 7.2 51 0 3 3
Career 17 2 15 66 4.4 18 0 14 101 7.2 51 0 3 3

Notes

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  1. ^ Selected as a punt returner

References

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  1. ^ Gegenheimer, Mike (September 1, 2018). "Former West Feliciana star Derius Davis lights up hometown Southern in collegiate debut". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  2. ^ "Derius Davis Track & Field results". Athletic.net. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  3. ^ "Derius Davis, West Feliciana , Cornerback". 247Sports. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  4. ^ "Robinson 5 TDs for No. 16 TCU in 55-7 win over Southern U". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 1, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  5. ^ "TCU gets bowl eligible again with 31-24 win over Oklahoma St". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 25, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  6. ^ "TCU 33, Baylor 23". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  7. ^ "TCU 59, Kansas 23". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  8. ^ "QB Duggan paces TCU in 29-22 win over No. 19 Oklahoma State". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  9. ^ "TCU 31, Kansas 28". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  10. ^ "West Virginia tops TCU 29-17 despite TD kick return at start". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  11. ^ "TCU cruises by Colorado 38-13 to kick off Sonny Dykes era". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  12. ^ Mujid, Zaakirah (October 25, 2022). "TCU's Derius Davis is fastest ball carrier, even among NFL". BVM Sports. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  13. ^ "Duggan, TCU rout No. 18 Oklahoma 55-24". ESPN. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  14. ^ "Duggan, Johnston lead No. 17 TCU past Kansas". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 8, 2022. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
  15. ^ "No. 8 TCU rallies again to beat No. 17 K-State for B12 lead". ESPN.
  16. ^ "No. 7 TCU pulls away for 9-0 in 34-24 win over Texas Tech". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 5, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  17. ^ "2022 All-Big 12 Football Awards Announced". Big 12 Conference. November 30, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Schofield, Mark (February 21, 2023). "USFL Draft 2023 live tracker: Updates on picks from spring football league". SB Nation.
  19. ^ "Derius Davis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  20. ^ "2023 NFL Draft Scout Derius Davis College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  21. ^ Navarro, Omar (April 29, 2023). "5 Things to Know About New Chargers WR Derius Davis". Chargers.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  22. ^ Gordon, Grant (November 8, 2023). "Texans QB C.J. Stroud, Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs highlight Players of the Week". NFL.com. Retrieved November 20, 2023.
  23. ^ "2023 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2024.
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