Chargers' rookie Derius Davis compares perfectly to this Cowboys standout
By Jason Reed
The LA Chargers needed depth at the wide receiver position heading into the 2023 NFL Draft and the team made sure to add just that. After taking Quentin Johnston in the first round with the 21st overall pick, the Chargers doubled-down on TCU wide receivers and took Derius Davis in the fourth round.
While Davis was projected to go later in the draft, this selection was still beloved by most Chargers fans. The team desperately needed a returner on special teams and Davis will instantly have an impact in that regard. Even if he doesn't play much on offense in year one, he can leave his mark on this team in 2023.
It is really easy to get excited about what Davis can offer the team both in his rookie season and in future years. It is even more exciting considering who Davis compares to, at least as far as his impact on special teams.
Chargers' Derius Davis compares to Cowboys' KaVontae Turpin
After stints in various different professional football leagues, KaVontae Turpin finally got his chance to prove his worth in the NFL in 2022 with the Dallas Cowboys. The results left football fans wondering why it took so long for Turpin to get to the league in the first place.
Turpin made the Pro Bowl in 2022, averaging 10.4 yards per punt return and 24.2 yards per kickoff return. While Davis wasn't as good in kickoff returns, he has a good chance to blow past Turpin's punt-return numbers as he averaged 14.9 yards per punt return.
The two are both dynamically athletic and quick. Turpin did not have any offensive value for the Cowboys in his rookie season and that might be the case for Davis as well. But if he can have the same kind of special teams value as Turpin then it would absolutely be worth the fourth-round pick.
The most relevant comparison between the two is the fact that they both went to TCU and that Davis broke records that Turpin set. Davis returned the fifth punt of his TCU career for a touchdown in 2022, breaking Tuprin's school record.
If that is not a great omen that Davis will succeed in the NFL just like Turpin then I am not sure what is.