Former NFL Scout Gives Cornerback Tacario Davis First Round Grade

University of Washington cornerback Tacario Davis is one of the toughest evaluations I’ve done.

What was so challenging about his 2025 season?

Davis was in and out of the lineup due to injuries, and according to Pro Football Focus, he had six penalties in 2025. However, even the television announcers questioned half of those, and so did I. Also, the coverage schemes didn’t always seem to be a good fit for Davis’ skill set.

What grade did I give Davis’ 2024 film when he was at the University of Arizona before transferring to the University of Washington?

First Round.

What were the biggest questions I had after evaluating his 2024 game film?

1. PBU and interception numbers?

2. Penalties?

3. Active in support?

*PBU stands for passes broken up.

A: Davis played in seven games for the Huskies in 2025 and logged four PBUs and two interceptions. I already covered the penalties question, and he looked reluctant in support again.

Basically, he was the same guy just wearing a different helmet.

Well, not quite the same guy.

Davis got better in some ways, too.

What kind of improvements did he show on his 2025 game film?

• Showed a short-area burst
• Demonstrated slightly better hip flexibility
• Hands seemed better

I just thought he looked even more solid in coverage than from what I remember in my mind’s eye from his time in Arizona.

I wasn’t alone in that assessment.

Pro Football Focus (PFF):

2024 pass coverage grade: 61.7

2025 pass coverage grade: 65.0📈

What are some of Davis’ best traits?

• Size
• Arm length
• Aggressive nature
• Intimidating
• Confrontational
• Physical
• Confidence
• Handsy
• Good straight line speed (Official NFL Scouting Combine 40 time: 4.41)
• Recovery speed
• Excellent ball instincts

Davis has been labeled as a “moving wall,” and that pretty much describes what it was like watching him play this past season.

What’s his best trait?

It’s the way Davis positions himself in coverage.

He does a really nice job of maintaining leverage on the routes he’s covering, whether it’s on a straight-line vertical route along the sideline that he’s able to dominate, or it’s just how he positions himself so he can take an effective enough angle that he can make a play on the ball on other types of routes.

What are Davis’ worst traits?

• Slight hip tightness
• Becomes lazy with his technique at times

And it’s those times the penalty flags came out.

NFL projection

Davis is a press-man corner through and through. Press man pass coverage is when a cornerback comes right up on the wide receiver he’s assigned to pre-snap and is responsible for covering him and matching that receiver step for step.

What teams played the most “man coverage” in 2025?

Per Sharp Football Analysis, the top 12 were the Browns, Broncos, Lions, Steelers, Jets, Ravens, Giants, Bears, Patriots, Colts, Bengals, and Eagles.

*Any of these teams would be “ideal” landing spots for Davis.

#8 Tacario Davis 6-foot-4, 200 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s Final 2026 NFL Draft Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a Fourth Round prospect as of March 17, 2026

University of Arizona Ball Hawk Tacario Davis (2024: 8 games evaluated)

2025 game film evaluated: Colorado State, UC Davis, Rutgers, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Purdue (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Played some wide receiver in high school

2025: Rib and hamstring injuries

2025: 146 receiving yards given up (PFF)

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Imposing cover corner. Playmaker. Nice looking backpedal. Stays more upright. Dialed into receivers. Depends on knowing what receivers are trying to do. Often able to keep the game in front of him. Disciplined in coverage assignments. Loves to bait (sometimes a little too much). Good anticipation. Twitchy. Best at: 1) press-man, 2) off-man, 3) zone. Inconsistent getting to the catch point in time when he was in off-man and zone. Loves to physically challenge receivers. Showed he can regularly impede routes in press man. Excellent crowding out on vertical routes along the sideline. Looks back for the ball. Gets fired up. Hesitant blitzing. Provides strong support when he wants to.

Final words

Davis is a ball hawk.

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.