The Steelers wrapped up their 2020 NFL Draft class Saturday in Round 7, taking nose tackle Carlos Davis out of Nebraska with their final pick, 232nd overall.
With the pick, the Steelers spread their 2020 selections evenly: Three on offense, three on defense:
Round 2, No. 49 overall: Chase Claypool, WR, Notre Dame
Round 3, No. 102 overall: Alex Highsmith, OLB, UNC-Charlotte
Round 4, No. 124 overall: Anthony McFarland, RB, Maryland
Round 4, No. 135 overall: Kevin Dotson, OL, Louisiana
Round 6, No. 198 overall: Antoine Brooks, S, Maryland
Round 7, No. 232 overall: Carlos Davis, NT, Nebraska
Davis fills a need for the Steelers, as the team lost Javon Hargrave in free agency to the Eagles this offseason. Many expect the Steelers to use longtime vet Tyson Alualu to fill the middle of their defensive line and replace Hargrave, and Davis will now likely compete with XFL import Cavon Walker and Daniel McCullers for that backup/rotational role. Davis, at 6-foot-2, 320 pounds is virtually identical to Hargrave's 6-foot-2, 305-pound frame.
At Nebraska, Davis redshirted as a freshman in 2015 and played five years, racking up 125 tackles (59 solo), 9.5 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, eight passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries throughout his collegiate career. That production spread evenly throughout his core four years, too, as he had at least one sack and no more than four sacks in every season.
There, he played on the defensive line with his twin brother, Khalil Davis, who was selected by the Buccaneers one round earlier in the 2020 NFL Draft.
"He and his twin brother both played together at Nebraska," Kevin Colbert said of Davis on a Zoom video conference with media after the draft. "His brother was drafted a round earlier. We did videos with both of those young players during the setup. It was entertaining, to say the least. Very smart young men. He went to the combine and ran a 4.79 in a 300-plus body. For him, there’s definite upside. We hope to continue to see how he develops."
Davis was named by coaches as an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2018 and was an impressive, two-sport athlete at Nebraska, earning honorable mention All-American honors in track and field (discus) and second-team All-American status as a senior in 2019.
"He played nose for them," Mike Tomlin added of Davis on the call. "He’s a strong kid, a talented athlete. He was a two-sport player there. He threw on the track and field team, as well. Those things will be determined on the field, as they should."
