Davis is local kid living his dream

Dolphins wide receiver Daewood Davis, the undrafted rookie from Western Kentucky and Deerfield Beach High School, has a folder that’s bursting with statistics and information about top college and NFL wide receivers.

It’s something he decided to do on his own. He’s been keeping the folder since high school.

“I looked up their stats, how many balls they dropped, how many catches they had,” said Davis, who helped lead Deerfield Beach to a Class 8A state semifinal appearance as a senior.

“I just tried to compare myself to where these elite guys are at so I could possibly be there in the future.”

Davis, a 6-foot-1, 196-pound speedy deep threat for Western Kentucky’s high-scoring offense, was among the numerous rookies, drafted and undrafted, going through their paces during Friday’s first day of rookie minicamp.

In a way, the messages he learned from keeping those folders is helping Davis, who used to attend Dolphins games with his grandmother, live his dream.

“When I was in college it’d tell me it’s competitive,” Davis said of the folder. “So I knew when I came here, I was really going to have to go out and hone in on every little detail. Listen to the coaches, also listen to my veterans to go out there and put my best foot forward.”

Davis is a longshot to make the 53-man regular-season roster, considering the Dolphins’ wide receivers are led by All Pro Tyreek Hill and includes veterans such as speedster Jaylen Waddle, slot receiver Braxton Berrios and a host of others including River Cracraft, Erik Ezukanma, Braylon Sanders, Cedrick Wilson Jr., and Robbie Chosen (the former Chosen Anderson, Robbie Anderson and Robby Anderson).

But anything can happen. Davis, an Oregon transfer who

former Ducks coach (and current Miami Hurricanes coach) Mario Cristobal reportedly called “the most unselfish guy I ever coached,” had 80 receptions for 1,318 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at Western Kentucky.

Davis had 63 receptions for 872 yards and seven touchdowns last season as a redshirt senior.

Although the long ball is perhaps the best attribute of Davis’ game, he hasn’t yet discussed how to use that speed with Wes Welker, the Dolphins’ wide receivers coach.

“We just really got into me learning my job, learning my situation, and me coming in and putting my best foot forward to give me the best opportunity,” Davis said.

After Davis wasn’t drafted, he had had a number of teams to choose among to pursue his NFL dream. The Dolphins were an easy choice.

“This is one of my dream teams coming out of college,” he said. “Being a South Florida guy I always looked at the Dolphins. I had season tickets at one point when I was younger. Me and my grandma used to come to the games all the time. And me just watching this team and watching how everybody excels, I wanted to be a part of that.”

Now, Davis is part of that, albeit at an entry level.

Still, it’s thrilling.

“I’ve been waiting on this day all my life; since I was 6 years old, I had to play in the National Football League,” Davis said. “So now that I’m here, I’m excited.”

But Davis also understands it’s an uphill situation.

That’s where the folder plays a role, because it reminds Davis that he must be on top of his game in order to compete with these guys.

Apparently, the folder is pretty extensive. It even includes Welker, who made his name as a slot receiver with New England.

“Tyreek Hill was definitely one,” Davis said of the players in his folder. “Jaylen Waddle, I had him in my folder when he was at Alabama. Coach Wes. Coach is in that folder.

“It’s a couple of other guys in that folder that I really look up to. Randy Moss was in that folder. Calvin Johnson was in that folder. So yeah, there are a lot of prominent receivers in this league that were in that folder. I just take heed that I’m here now, and now I’m trying to add my name to somebody else’s folder.”