Tacario Davis, Arizona: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Davis was a three-star recruit from Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif. in the class of 2022

Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis is one of the youngest top 100 prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. His physical tools are impressive, but his tall build places some physical limitations on his game. He needs to iron out some technical flaws to secure a top 60 selection.

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Tacario Davis, CB Arizona: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside cornerback from Long Beach, Calif.

Background: Davis was a three-star recruit from Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 1,140 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 1,153 for On3.com. Davis was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. According to MaxPreps, he made 51 tackles, three interceptions and a pass defensed as a high school senior. He also made 25 receptions for 453 yards and six touchdowns that season. As a sophomore, Davis made 19 tackles, an interception, and recovered a fumble.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited bowl game vs. Oklahoma with an apparent head injury (2023)

Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Pac-12, 2023 Second Team All-Pac-12 (Associated Press)

Pros: Age, excellent height, arm length surpasses thresholds, hips aren’t that high proportionally, arm length helps with jams at LOS and mid-route, patient approach helps him mirror twitchier receivers, patient footwork in off-man and zone, footspeed mirrors receiver’s tempo, doesn’t overcommit in backpedal to route fakes, decent hip sink at his size, good hip flexibility to turn and burn quickly, flips hips well to adjust for post-corner routes, drives outside release toward the sideline, patient approach in off-man lets him absorb the route as it develops, didn’t bite on Elic Ayomanor’s stutter-go routes (2023), not fooled by route fakes, outside leverage on corner routes to deter throws, sufficient speed to carry most receivers vertically while in phase, long strides to cover ground, rare ability to stay on the WR’s hip vertically for a CB his size, communicates hand offs between zones, flashes of vision leading him to jump other routes in zone, large area of influence to dominate at the catch point, rakes the receiver’s hands at the catch point, arm length to play the ball from around the WR, sets a nice edge in the run game, turns outside runs back inside, stacks WR stalk blocks on perimeter to redirect ball carriers, examples of good wrap-up tackling to limit YAC

Cons: Limited special teams versatility, frame is lean and hasn’t filled out, not twitchy or sudden, long legs and slight hip stiffness limit suddenness, size impacts movement, speed falls short of elite, naturally sits high in backpedal, underdeveloped jam at LOS, press punches are soft and don’t re-route receiver, leverage in press allows too much room inside, some awkwardness and slight delay in transition from backpedal to forward drive, late to drive from off-man to attack in-breaking routes or routes in front of him, allows some separation at the top of comebacks and curls, grabby on double moves/extended plays vs. USC (2023), instincts aren’t blooming yet, late to read QB’s eyes and respond to throwing motion on short routes, even with eyes on QB he’s late to recognize and drive on concepts, needs to convert more PBUs into turnovers, dropped interceptions, play strength limits block shedding, lacks physicality at the POA and on tackles, interest runs hot and cold in run defense

Overview: Davis turned 20 in August, making him one of the youngest prospects in the 2025 class. He has an elite combination of height and length. His frame hasn’t filled out yet, and he might be a wiry player for most of his NFL career because of his build. Davis’ hips aren’t that high considering his size, but his build and long legs create some physical limitations that impact his movement skills and prevent him from being twitchy or sudden. The junior uses his long arms to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage and harass them throughout the route. His patience at the line of scrimmage helps him mirror twitchy and more agile receiving threats. This patient footwork also translates to his work in off-man and zone coverages. Davis’ footspeed helps him mirror and match route tempo, and he avoids biting on route fakes out of his backpedal. His long strides and speed are good for a cornerback with his size but fall short of elite. It’s rare to find a cornerback with his size who sticks on the receiver’s hip as often as he does. Davis sinks his hips surprisingly well and displays good hip flexibility to quickly open his stance and carry receivers vertically. He drives outside releases toward the sideline to choke off throwing lanes. The former three-star recruit’s press technique is underdeveloped. His punches are soft and fail to re-route receivers. He provides too much inside access, granting lanes for receivers to run into space over the middle of the field after escaping his jam. Davis patiently absorbs routes working to him in off-man, but there’s a slight delay when routes break in front of him and he switches from his backpedal to forward drive. This keeps throwing windows open and provides chances for yards after the catch. The California native’s hips cause him to allow separation at the top of comebacks and curls. Twitchy or sudden receivers force him to grab and hold at the top of the stem. Davis’ coverage instincts are still developing, but he shows terrific flashes of reading plays in zone. His vision helps him jump routes, but he’s late to read and react to some pending throws. Davis shines at the catch point. He uses his long arms to play the ball around and over the receiver and rakes the receiver’s hands to strip the ball. Davis needs to clean up his dropped interceptions and generate more turnovers. The 2023 All-Pac-12 honorable mention is willing to set the edge in the run game by stacking stalk blocks but lacks the play strength to shed blocks consistently. He doesn’t play with a high level of physicality at the point of attack, and his motor in run defense runs hot and cold.

Overall, Davis possesses rare size and length for a cornerback, but his lack of experience and unique body type prevent him from performing at an elite level consistently. His youth and flashes of brilliance suggest a high ceiling, but his instincts, play strength, and hand usage need to improve for him to reach that lofty peak. Davis projects best into a zone-heavy scheme with some press-man opportunities.

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside corner in a Cover 2 scheme

Round Grade: Third Round

Size: 6'4", 190 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-15-24

Updated: 10-29-24