PISCATAWAY, N.J. — Sports Illustrated’s website had just run the list, cataloguing the year’s draft-eligible players and where they sat. Rutgers’ Anthony Davis was in the seventh overall spot and when someone shared that news, before the left tackle could even utter an “aw shucks,” left guard Art Forst jumped in.”Seventh round? They say you’re going in the seventh round?” Forst said, with mock wide-eyes — and to a round of cheers.
Davis was once Rutgers’ most highly-touted recruit. Now he’s the Scarlet Knights’ most highly-touted NFL prospect. The junior is uniformly pegged as a first-round pick, across all sorts of draft prognostications. But just when the ever-amiable Davis’ head might get big, he has his teammates ready with a balloon-popping needle. And South Florida’s defensive ends coming to town.
“Those guys can make you look silly. They are athletes,” Davis said, drawing out that last word as he spoke of George Selvie and Jason Pierre-Paul.
It’s a different kind of silly then the one his line-mates try on him. And even as that one-time, one-quarter suspension has own line-mates still teasingly calling him “Ginobli” — in honor of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year, Manu Ginobli — both they and Davis ultimately know the tone the left tackle sets from the start, against the two-time All-American Selvie, could key this game.
Great to see players from Rutgers continuing to get attention like this. The play of Davis and the rest of the RU offensive line will be the key tonight. If the line can protect Savage, Rutgers offense can score some points and possibly control the game to keep USF QB Daniels off the field.