Saints defensive line excited to see what Marcus Davenport can do

The New Orleans Saints have only seen glimpses of their first-round pick in action so far.

A pulled groin sidelined Marcus Davenport for weeks, limiting the rookie’s full-speed, full-pads exposure to just a few days at the beginning of training camp.

Davenport is close to full strength now, and the rest of the Saints are eager to see what they might be able to get out of the player New Orleans traded two first-round picks to move up to No. 14 and take at the end of April.

“You don’t have to encourage anyone when he is on the sideline seeing his brotherhood working, and he’s a step behind,” defensive end Cameron Jordan said. “When I say a step behind, I mean he’s on the sidelines looking, and he’s not in the line of fire. You see he wants to get out there. He’s trying to push his reps where his body will let him.”

Davenport has flashed some of the tools to be the kind of effective pass rusher the Saints believed they were getting when they made the bold move halfway up the first round.

“I think he’s stronger than people expect him to be,” nose tackle Tyeler Davison said. “We’ve seen him get some nice rushes early in camp, during OTAs, but that’s pretty much it. I don’t know that I’ve had enough exposure to get a good assessment.”

Jordan, on the other hand, has taken a close look, and he thinks the rookie has the “ability to be special.”

The key is putting it all together. A 6-foot-6, long-armed prospect with 4.58-second speed in the 40-yard dash, Davenport must learn to use his tools properly.

“I always tell him to check out (Cincinnati’s) Carlos Dunlap, check out your taller rushers,” Jordan said. “Be aware of your leverage. Look at (Denver’s) Von (Miller) and the way he bends. Check out a couple of my rushes and see that after contact you have to dip your hips and get as low as you can. With height comes easy swim-overs, but leverage is going to be key for you.”

And he can finally start working on that leverage now.

This story was originally published August 21, 2018 at 6:03 AM with the headline "Saints defensive line excited to see what Marcus Davenport can do."