COLLEGE PARK, MD – Pity the poor freshman tight end that walks into the Maryland weight room for first time. Looming above the rows of weight benches and stacks of iron plates are the names of the school's record holders, position by position, dating back to 1981.
When it comes to Terrapin tight ends, nearly all of those records belong to Vernon Davis, and nearly all of them are out of reach.
"He was one of the most gifted guys, if not the most gifted, we ever had here and he also had an incredible work ethic," said Maryland strength coach Dwight Galt, who watched Davis smash all of the records as a 217-pound freshman and then routinely break his own records every few months during the next three years.
But even with all that power, the Maryland coaches never wasted much time turning Davis into a blocker.
Instead they saw in him an H-back who would be a handful for every defensive back he faced, and they didn't overthink how they would use him. In 2005 they built their passing attack around Davis, and he rewarded them with a team-leading 51 catches for an Atlantic Coast Conference-best 871 receiving yards.
The following spring, the 49ers made Davis the No. 6 selection in the draft.
If you ask 49ers coaches, they'll tell you Davis has been worth the expense. Heck, they say, he's probably become the best blocking tight end in the league. And did you see how he handled Dolphins sack master Joey Porter last year in Miami? The truth, however, is that you draft a blocking tight end in the sixth round, not sixth overall. With that selection, you're looking for a playmaker, someone who leads his team in pass receptions and touchdowns.
And in that regard, Davis has been merely mediocre.
Last year, 27 other tight ends caught more passes than Davis. He scored only two touchdowns, one fewer than he did his rookie season when he missed six games with an injury.
What the Maryland coaches saw right away, the 49ers have been slow to pick up.
A year ago at this time, offensive coordinator Mike Martz gushed over Davis' unique combination of power and speed. But Martz only used him at the extreme ends of his abilities – as a third offensive tackle who provided the quarterback an extra second or two of protection or as a receiver who raced 35 yards downfield for one or two bombs a game.
Davis is not Lynn Swann, as anyone who has observed a 49ers practice can attest. In fact, he's not a natural pass catcher at all, and he often has trouble tracking balls that are thrown over his shoulder.
But as the Maryland coaches noted, that doesn't mean he can't make big plays out of short passes.
"He's a guy who needs to face the quarterback and get some (yards after the catch)," Galt said. "He's very good after he catches the ball."
Said Terps offensive coordinator James Franklin: "I would describe Vernon as more of an explosive athlete than a fluid athlete."
Which is to say, if Davis' old coaches were giving new 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye advice, it would be this: Keep it simple and Davis will make you look smart.
Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.