UTSA’s Davenport gains weight, NFL interest
MOBILE, ALA. — Marcus Davenport didn't arrive at UTSA as a bigtime prospect, or even a particularly big one.
Then a slender 198pound defensive end who had played some wide receiver in high school, Davenport has since gained 60 pounds and considerable interest from NFL teams.
The 6-foot-6, 259-pounder is one of the top NFL prospects at the Senior Bowl this week, rated as a potential first-rounder and maybe even a Top 10 pick.
"It wasn't so long ago that this wasn't even a thought or on my radar," Davenport said.
He has definitely been on NFL teams' radar. Davenport, who says he first realized NFL scouts were interested in him late in his junior season, was rated as the 10thbest prospect for the April draft by NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah.
The Conference USA defensive player of the year made his biggest weight gain before his senior season with a simple strategy: "See food, eat food."
As a player, his biggest strength has been see quarterback, get quarterback.
Davenport set school records with 17.5 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks as a senior.
He also returned a fumble for a touchdown and forced three.
But outside of NFL circles and C-USA, Davenport wasn't a big name.
"He's probably the player in this game that is not well known but by the time we get to Saturday, he's going to be the talk of the game, perhaps," Senior Bowl executive director Phil Savage predicted early in the week.
Davenport seems bemused by some of the attention, or at least the questions asked by reporters and NFL team officials alike.