Davis busting into professional ball

New Orleans native Craig Davis will spend April 28 in his hometown, hoping to make such a big day in his life a little bit easier to handle. This day, though, should not be too overwhelming for Davis. The former Tiger wide receiver has his body of collegiate work and skills to thank for that. According to NFL Draft Analyst Mike Detillier, Davis' speed, quickness and hands should have him drafted in the early- to mid-second round. "He's got great speed, excellent pull-away ability," Detillier said. "He's a very elusive open-field runner, he catches the ball and also he brings to the table that element of a return specialist that we really didn't see until this year." Detillier said teams that have shown "quite a bit of an interest" in Davis include the Oakland Raiders, the Chicago Bears, the Miami Dolphins, the Minnesota Vikings and the San Francisco 49ers. Davis' agent Joe Segal said NFL teams would be impressed by his client's tangibles. "What teams will see in Buster is a guy who has an outstanding size-speed ratio [and a guy who is] not afraid to go over the middle," Segal said. "He's going to give it his all and a guy of extremely high character." Detillier said while Davis has excelled when he is on the field, the 6-foot-1-inch pass catcher has had trouble staying on the field consistently. "If there's a big negative on him, it's probably that he has been nicked up in the past, virtually every year," Detillier said. When he could stay on the field, Davis did impress. From 2003 to 2006, Davis amassed 141 receptions, 2,107 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns. Segal believes his client has thoroughly prepared himself for NFL scouts and teams. "Buster's prepared with top strength-and-conditioning coaches. He's prepared for the exams at the Combine. He prepared for interviews. He prepared for his 40-yard dash," Segal said. "He worked as hard as anybody and did everything he needed to do to maximize his draft position." Detillier, however, thinks Davis damaged his draft stock by failing to attend the Senior Bowl on Jan. 2, in Mobile, Ala. "It's almost like there's an NFL contingent, so to speak, [at the Senior Bowl]," Detillier said. "So for [Davis] it was imperative that if you're not hurt, you go. He didn't go." Detillier pointed to another former LSU star whose stock exploded after his performance in the Senior Bowl. "[Devery Henderson] had a great week of practice, and he really played well in the Senior Bowl," Detillier said. "[His performance] shot him up into the second round, where before I think most people were talking about Devery probably as a third-round pick. He jumped himself up a round by doing well at the Senior Bowl." Detillier did concede, though, that an abundance in the wide receiver spot in this year's draft would likely have precluded Davis from cracking the top-32 picks. Detillier said Davis has essentially maintained his spot on NFL scouts' initial draft reports. "I think at the end of the season most people consider[ed Davis] to be an early- to mid-second-round pick, and that's where he's at today," Detillier said. "There's virtually been no movement with Craig. I think he ended the season with that high ranking, and I think that's where he's fallen for most teams."

----- Contact Jonathan Finney at jfinney@lsureveille.com