The Draft Spies (Vol. II): Wyatt Davis

Welcome to volume two of “The Draft Spies”. This week, we will spy on Ohio State guard Wyatt Davis and discuss why he is an ideal player for the Bills to select in the upcoming NFL draft. Adding top quality prospects to the trench positions on this team will serve to make the Bills offense more consistent and complete. They will need swords and shields. Enter Wyatt Davis.

Advanced Metrics

As the off-season goes on, we will be introducing some new metrics into our prospect analyses. Last week, we introduced the “Pursuit Failure Caused Rate” (PFCR), which measures with the elusiveness of skill position players (quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, and tight ends).

This week, we present the “What the Dickens” (WTD) Meter. This metric, used to examine individual players, employs positive (+0.1 to +1) and negative (-0.1 to -1) values to determine good or bad execution on any given play. For offensive linemen, a WTD score connotes the execution of blocking assignments. (*Note: Players can record a positive WTD score on negative plays, and vice versa.)

SPY 1: WHO is Wyatt Davis?

Wyatt Davis grew up in Bellflower, California approximately 4 hours distant from Josh Allen. He attended the prestigious St. John Bosco High School, where he played both Football and Basketball. He was named the Trinity League Offensive Lineman of the Year and a US Army All-American as a senior, earning a 5 star recruit rating from Rivals, 247 Sports, Scout, and Maxpreps. Davis was the number one offensive line prospect in his recruiting class, receiving offers from several high-profile programs such as Alabama, Michigan, Notre Dame, Stanford, USC, UCLA, and Washington. However, he ultimately committed to The Ohio State University.

SPY 2: WHERE did he come from?

Davis redshirted as a freshman at Ohio State, serving as a reserve guard. He made his Buckeye debut in 2018, playing 241 snaps and impressing the coaching staff with his preparedness and maturity. From that point on, Davis anchored their offensive line. He is one of the most decorated offensive linemen in Ohio State history:

• Big Ten All-Decade 2nd Team
• Two-time All-American (2019, 2020)
• Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year (2020)
• Two-time 1st Team All-Big Ten honors (2019, 2020)
• 2017 Ohio State Student Athlete Award Winner
• Made the dean’s list several times
• Third-most team awards in school history

Davis was partly responsible for the performance of that powerhouse Buckeye offense. Coach Ryan Day focused in and around Davis’ intelligence and physical tools to develop his game. He is an ideal fit for an inside rush attack scheme. However, Day worked with Davis to broaden his skill set, which opened up the offense to more dynamic concepts. It didn’t hurt that they had an extremely athletic quarterback and running back in Justin Fields and Trey Sermon. We will touch more on this is a developmental point later.

SPY 3: WHAT are his attributes?

Davis (6’4”, 315 lbs.) is a complete player. He has dominated virtually every aspect of the game and life. This might be due, in part, to his legendary lineage; he is the grandson of Hall of Fame defensive end Willie Davis. However, like all us mortals, he is not perfect. He has struggled on occasion. The following WTD analysis will illustrate his inconsistent play from Ohio State’s 2019 game against Penn State:

Now, this was only one game where he and his team struggled on offense. This does not mean he will never develop into a starting-caliber guard; simply that he still has room to improve. He is extremely mature for his age with decent blocking technique. He has all the tools required to refine his game as time goes on.

SPY 4: WHEN should he be drafted?

In any other year, a blue-chip guard prospect like Davis would go in the top half of the first round. (He is Mel Kiper’s second-highest rated guard prospect in the draft class after all.) However, given the surplus of quality offensive line prospects in the 2021 draft class, Davis may fall to the late first/early second round.

SPY 5: WHY Davis would fit in Buffalo’s offense?

We all know that the Buffalo Bills brand “availability” as their most valued aspect of a player’s profile; Davis has this in spades, but there’s simply more to it than that. He is the type of player that can help the Bills further cultivate their winning culture. Davis is extremely well prepared, for the NFL and more specifically, for high expectations that the Bills surely have.

To circle back to the developmental point from earlier, it is common knowledge that the Bills staff is fond of drafting and developing players in ways that fit and within the bounds of their capabilities. “Capabilities vs. Limitations” is a comparative metric that has come up many times in Spy Articles, and Davis is no exception. He gives you far more capabilities.

Having Wyatt Davis on Buffalo’s offensive line would allow them to anchor their guard position for years to come, just like Ohio State. Furthermore, the Bills will love Davis because he filled in at both guard positions during high school and college.

DARKHORSE BONUS POINT: HOW would he do with the Bills?

If the Bills draft Wyatt Davis, they can plug him in day one at right guard. He is as polished a guard prospect as the college ranks could produce. He could be one of the keys to enhancing pass protection for Josh Allen and improving run game efficiency, something that is sorely needed.

In closing, please follow The Buffalo Fanatics on all platforms, trust the process and go Bills.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.