Tim Benz, Matt Williamson's draft preview: Jordan Davis is a dream too good to be true for Steelers defensive line

In a perfect world — well, my perfect world — the Steelers would draft Jordan Davis with the 20th overall selection in the first round of Thursday night’s NFL Draft.

But in that perfect world, I’d also be writing this column beachside in Maui and getting paid $1 million per word.

Don’t worry. I’m not. So it won’t be very long.

Similarly, I’m not expecting the Steelers to be able to draft Davis either. If he is still on the board at No. 14, my guess is the Baltimore Ravens will take him.

Why wouldn’t they? Why wouldn’t the Steelers?

To Ravens management, he probably looks like an even bigger, more athletic version of Haloti Ngata. And to Steelers management, he probably looks like an even bigger, more athletic version of Casey Hampton.

At 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, the Georgia defensive lineman turned in one of the more awe-inspiring workouts in recent memory at the Indianapolis scouting combine last month. He ran a 4.78-second 40-yard dash, the fastest by any player over 310 pounds since 2003, per Next Gen Stats. Davis also recorded a 10.3 broad jump and a 32-inch vertical. According to The Athletic, “his broad jump is longer than tight end Jimmy Graham (10) and his vertical surpasses running back Jamaal Charles (30.5 inches).”

Former NFL and college scout Matt Williamson outlined Davis’ game in our latest pre-NFL Draft podcast. He says the athletic ability Davis has compares favorably to other great Steelers’ nose tackles of years-gone-bye.

“He covers a lot of ground,” Williamson said. “All respect to Hampton and (Joel) Steed, and those guys. They didn’t line up on the nose and make plays on the far sideline. Davis will chase down wide runs and smash a running back at the sidelines.”

The complaint from some Steelers fans who don’t want to see their team draft Davis even if he is on the board is that he is just a “two-down player.” In other words, if he lines up primarily as a nose tackle, you’ll only see him in run-stopping situations.

Fine by me!

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If Davis helps the Steelers stop the run well enough that he’s coming off the field on third-and-long, I see that as a good thing. After all, that’d be an incredible improvement for a defense that ranked dead last against the run last year, hemorrhaging a ghastly 146.1 yards per game.

Plus, I don’t see Davis as just a two-down player. I see him as being able to back up Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt (or Tyson Alualu and Chris Wormley) at times in subpackages as well. He has plenty of ability to be disruptive, occupy blockers and get sacks himself in the pass game.

Worst-case scenario, if Davis “only” becomes a run-stiffing specialist, so what? Hampton was that here in Pittsburgh for 12 years and is still fondly remembered as a cult hero from those mid-2000s Super Bowl teams and every bit worthy of having been a first-round pick.

Williamson seems to agree.

“I think he can line up anywhere on the interior. Even, maybe, in time, on passing downs. I’m not taking Tuitt and Heyward off the field — when they are healthy — for him on third-and-8. But a year from now I might,” Williamson said. “I understand, as a pass rusher, he is developing. But there aren’t going to be many centers in the league that can handle his power. So if that center needs a guard to help, what do you think is going to happen with Heyward, and (T.J.) Watt, and Tuitt and all of those guys? His presence has a ripple effect.”

Not to mention that Wormley and Tuitt are 28. Heyward is 32, and Alualu is 34. The defensive line needs a jolt of youthful talent.

At Davis’ workout in Georgia, Tomlin famously predicted that he thought Davis “would’ve hugged Roger Goodell” before the Steelers get on the clock.

Sadly, I think he’s right. But if Davis is on the board and the Steelers are smart enough to take him, Tomlin should drive to Baltimore and hug general manager Eric DeCosta and head coach John Harbaugh.

I might do the same.

Also in Wednesday’s pre-draft podcast, Matt Williamson examines other defensive line options if Davis is gone. He looks at the offensive line, too, specifically laying out some reasons why the Steelers may think that unit is more solid than the fans and media do.

Listen: Tim Benz and Matt Williamson talk NFL Draft: Defensive/offensive lines