Am I getting ahead of myself? Maybe. But is the potential there? Definitely. The door to Pittsburgh's strong safety position is wide open, and who better than the 6-foot 1-inch, 202-pound, Sean Davis to come in and take it?
The Pittsburgh Steelers do not strike out much when it comes to second-round draft picks. Davis joins the likes of Le'Veon Bell, Stephon Tuitt, and Marcus Gilbert as some of Pittsburgh's more notable second round selections. All of whom are phenomenal names to be mentioned in the same sentence with.
With the 58th pick in the draft, the Steelers acquired not only a playmaker, but a player whose head is squarely on his shoulders—a rare find in today's NFL. During his four-year career at Maryland, Davis racked up 319 tackles with five interceptions. While sometimes spotty in man coverage, he showed that he can thrive when given freedom in zone coverage and along the line. His larger frame allows the Steelers a practical alternative to cover tight ends, their most vulnerable facet in the 2015 season.
Strong tackling and hard hitting abilities afforded him five forced fumbles in his senior campaign, second in the nation behind Penn State's Carl Nassib. Combining Davis with the ever-hard hitting Mike Mitchell could provide the Steelers with one of the most feared safety combinations in the National Football League. The jokes and laughs of last year's weak secondary would become extinct, causing opposing receivers to quiver when they hear footsteps.
Robert Golden, special teams stud going into his fifth season, is currently a placeholder for the starting slot. Golden has experienced some in-game snaps at the SS position, but while a viable option, he does not fit the bill as a long-term answer. Going into OTA's, there is a three-way battle between Golden, Davis, and Shamarko Thomas, 4th round pick of the 2013 draft, who has had some questionable decision making in his limited playing time.
No NFL rookie is perfect, and Davis is no different, but his ceiling is exceptionally high. This future star speaks three different languages, and something tells me he won't have any issue learning a fourth— the Pittsburgh Steelers playbook. With plenty of time left until the Steelers kick off the regular season against the Washington Redskins, the picture will become vividly clearer throughout OTA's and training camp.