Davis hoping he can help

04.29.2009

The Browns saved fast for last.

In doing so, they may have themselves a steal.

Clemson running back James Davis was the last of the Browns' eight draft picks last weekend, the third of three sixth-rounders. As such, he was far from the spotlight Alex Mack and the other first-day picks shared and will share again at this weekend's rookie minicamp.

But Davis is used to sharing. The last three years at Clemson, he shared the running chores with speedy C.J. Spiller, a standout player in his own right who's one year Davis' junior.

That's what makes Davis' college numbers all the more impressive. And that's part of the reason why Davis has a chance to find a home in the Browns' backfield.

A two-time first-team All-ACC selection and ACC Rookie of the Year in 2005, Davis (5-foot-11, 215) is second in Clemson history in career rushing yards and touchdowns. He fell just short of taking the top spot in both categories last fall, when a team that returned plenty of talent fell short of expectations and coach Tommy Bowden was fired at midseason.

With the team struggling in nearly every aspect before a late-season push for bowl eligibility, Davis had his least productive college season. That's probably part of the reason why the Browns were able to get him in the sixth round a year after he declared for the draft - then changed his mind - after receiving a second-to-third round grade from the NFL's draft advisory committee.

"I had a lot of predictions; they said between the third and sixth rounds," Davis said Sunday. "I just prayed for the best, but you have to expect the worst. I just think this situation right here puts me in a great situation."

An Atlanta native, Davis attended the same high school as Browns' running back Jamal Lewis. The two already have a relationship, and Davis has spent some time in the offseason training with Lewis.

Welcome to the big time? He's been there, done that.

"(The workouts were) really tough, but I knew I wanted to get better as a player," he said. "Jamal is a guy that I can look up to and I know with his work ethic, if I can work as much as he can, I can be a good player.

"Jamal has played in the league for a number of years. When you can play in the league that long, that says something good about you. It says you're a great player, a lot of teams, they love you, and you are definitely doing something special there. I just can't wait to get there with him and see what he does best to stay in the NFL because that's what I want to do."

At Clemson, he was The Thunder of the Davis-Spiller "Thunder and Lightning" attack. Davis posted more than 3,800 rushing yards, 13 100-yard games and 49 touchdowns. He was fourth in the ACC in rushing as a freshman, third as a sophomore and second as a junior. Though his senior season didn't turn out the way he'd envisioned, he ran the 40-yard dash in under 4.5 seconds at the NFL Combine and on some watches at under 4.4 at his pro day.

His college film shows vision and burst that helped him create big plays, and he's a proven producer.

"I think I have a lot of tools I bring to the Browns," he said.

Starting this weekend, he gets a chance to show them off.