Carlton Davis

Carlton Davis III

Davis with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021
No. 23 – Detroit Lions
Position:	Cornerback
Personal information
Born:	(1996-12-31) December 31, 1996 (age 27) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:	206 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:	Miami Norland (Miami Gardens, Florida)
College:	Auburn (2015–2017)
NFL draft:	2018  / Round: 2 / Pick: 63
Career history
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2018–2023) Detroit Lions (2024–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (LV) Second-team All-American (2017) First team All-SEC (2017)
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Total tackles: 324 Forced fumbles: 3 Fumble recoveries: 4 Pass deflections: 73 Interceptions: 9
Player stats at PFR

Carlton Davis III (born December 31, 1996) is an American football cornerback for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Auburn and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Early years

Davis attended Miami Norland Senior High School in Miami Gardens, Florida, where he played high school football. He originally committed to Ohio State University to play college football but changed his commitment to Auburn University. ^{[1] [2]}

College career

Davis was a starter as a true freshman at Auburn in 2015. ^[3] He finished the season with 56 tackles and three interceptions. ^[4] As a sophomore in 2016, he recorded 46 tackles. ^{[5] [6]} Davis finished the 2017 season with 36 tackles, 12 pass deflections, and one interception. On January 3, 2018, Davis declared his intentions to enter the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[7]

Professional career

Pre-draft

Davis attended the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and completed the majority of drills, but opted to skip the short shuttle and three-cone drill. Davis finished eighth among all cornerbacks in the broad jump and bench press. ^[8] On March 9, 2018, Davis participated at Auburn's pro day and performed the majority of drills, but elected to skip the bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump. Davis also improved his times in the 40-yard dash (4.44s), 20-yard dash (2.60s), and 10-yard dash (1.59s). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Davis was projected to a second round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the sixth best cornerback prospect in the draft by Sports Illustrated , was ranked the eighth best cornerback by DraftScout.com, and was ranked as the ninth best cornerback in the draft by Scouts Inc. ^{[9] [10] [11]}

External videos
Carlton Davis' NFL Combine Workout

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	206 lb (93 kg)	32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m)	8+7⁄8 in (0.23 m)	4.44 s	1.59 s	2.60 s	4.31 s	7.30 s	34 in (0.86 m)	10 ft 4 in (3.15 m)	16 reps
All values are from NFL Combine/Pro Day [12] [13]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Davis in the second round with the 63rd overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. ^[14] Davis was the ninth cornerback drafted in 2018. ^[15]

External videos
Buccaneers draft Davis 63rd overall
NFL Draft Profile: Carlton Davis

On May 24, 2018, the Buccaneers signed Davis to a four-year, $4.39 million contract that includes $2.43 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.27 million. ^[16]

2018 season

Davis made his professional debut in Week 1 during a 48–40 win against the New Orleans Saints in which he had four tackles. ^[17] In Week 2, during a 27–21 win against the Philadelphia Eagles, Davis recorded six tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career fumble recovery via a strip-sack by teammate Kwon Alexander on Nick Foles. ^[18] In Week 16, during a 27–20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, Davis recorded two tackles and his first career forced fumble. ^[19]

Davis finished his rookie season with 40 tackles, four pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. ^[20]

2019 season

In Week 1, during a 31–17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Davis recorded tackles and his second career fumble recovery. ^[21] In Week 2, during a 20–14 win against the Carolina Panthers, Davis recorded seven tackles and two pass deflections. ^[22] In Week 4, during a 55–40 win against the Los Angeles Rams, Davis recorded eight tackles. ^[23] In Week 12, during a 35–22 win against the Atlanta Falcons, Davis recorded five tackles, five pass deflections, and his first career interception on Matt Ryan. ^[24]

Davis finished his second professional season with 60 tackles, 19 pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception. ^[25]

2020 season

On April 8, 2020, Davis announced that he would be changing his jersey number from 33 to 24 in honor of the late Kobe Bryant. ^[26]

In Week 1 against the Saints, Davis, guarding the 2019 NFL Offensive Player of the Year and First-team All-Pro, Michael Thomas, Davis was targeted 19 times, only allowing two catches and no touchdowns. Later that year, Davis contributed to holding Thomas to zero catches in the Divisional Round Game of the NFL Playoffs in New Orleans on January 17, 2021,

In Week 2 against the Panthers, Davis recorded his first interception of the season off a pass thrown by Teddy Bridgewater during the 31–17 win. ^[27] In Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Davis recorded an interception off a pass thrown by Justin Herbert late in the fourth quarter to secure a 38–31 Bucs' win. ^[28] In the following week's game against the Chicago Bears, on Thursday Night Football, Davis recorded another interception, this time off a pass thrown by Nick Foles, during the 20–19 loss. ^[29] Overall, Davis finished the 2020 season with 68 total tackles, four interceptions, and 18 passes defended in 14 games. ^[30] Davis played in all four games in the Buccaneers' playoff run that resulted in the team winning Super Bowl LV. ^{[31] [32]}

2021 season

Davis entered the 2021 season as a starting cornerback for the Buccaneers. He suffered a quad injury in Week 4 and was placed on injured reserve on October 7, 2021. ^[33] He was activated on December 3. ^[34]

2022 season

Davis re-signed with the Buccaneers on a three-year, $45 million contract on March 16, 2022. ^[35] Davis recorded his first interception of the season against the Bengals in a 34–23 loss.

Detroit Lions

On March 13, 2024, Davis and two sixth-round picks were traded to the Detroit Lions for a third-round pick (92nd overall, Jalen McMillan). ^[36]

Controversies

On April 4, 2021, Davis went on Twitter and tweeted an offensive Asian slur. When informed it meant an offensive term for Asian people, he proceeded to cite a section of the Urban Dictionary which states its use as also meaning lame in South Florida slang. The following day, he tweeted an apology and vowed not to use the term again. ^[37]

NFL career statistics

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions						Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	Sfty	PD	Int	Yds	Avg	Lng	TD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2018	TB	13	12	40	36	4	0.0	0	4	0	0	0.0	0	0	1	1	0	0
2019	TB	14	14	60	54	6	0.0	0	19	1	0	0.0	0	0	1	1	6	0
2020	TB	14	14	68	52	16	0.0	0	18	4	42	10.5	34	0	0	0	0	0
2021	TB	10	10	39	33	6	0.0	0	11	1	25	25.0	25	0	0	1	0	0
2022	TB	13	13	65	53	12	0.0	0	12	1	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0
2023	TB	12	12	52	40	12	0.0	0	9	2	3	1.5	3	0	0	0	0	0
Career		76	75	324	268	56	0.0	0	73	9	70	7.7	34	0	3	4	6	0

References

1. Sinor, Wesley (February 4, 2015). "Former Ohio State CB commit Carlton Davis picks Auburn". AL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
2. "Norland's Carlton Davis switches to Auburn".
3. Stevens, Matthew (November 6, 2015). "Auburn DB Carlton Davis not treated like a freshman anymore". USA Today. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
4. Crepea, James (May 10, 2016). "Auburn depth chart analysis: Field cornerback". AL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
5. Crepea, James (May 2, 2017). "Carlton Davis returns as starting boundary corner". AL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
6. Rankin, Duane (June 12, 2017). "Most important Auburn players in 2017 – No. 5: CB Carlton Davis". The Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
7. Marcello, Brandon (January 3, 2018). "Carlton Davis enters NFL Draft". AuburnUndercover & ITAT. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
8. "NFL Scouting Combine: Top Performers". NFL.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
9. "Carlton Davis, DS #8 CB, Auburn". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
10. "NFL Carlton Davis -ESPN". draftscout.com. Retrieved August 27, 2018.^{[ permanent dead link ]}
11. "The 2018 NFL Draft Big Board, Vol. 2". si.com. March 7, 2018. Retrieved August 22, 2018.
12. "Carlton Davis Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
13. "2018 NFL Draft Scout Carlton Davis College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
14. Arcia, Gil (April 27, 2018). "With the 63rd pick, the Buccaneers select Auburn's Carlton Davis". Bucs Nation. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
15. "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
16. "Spotrac.com: Carlton Davis contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
17. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New Orleans Saints – September 9th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
18. "Philadelphia Eagles at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – September 16th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
19. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Dallas Cowboys – December 23rd, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
20. "Carlton Davis 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
21. "San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – September 8th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
22. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Carolina Panthers – September 12th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
23. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Los Angeles Rams – September 29th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
24. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons – November 24th, 2019". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
25. "Carlton Davis 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
26. Nivison, Austin (June 14, 2020). "Carlton Davis wants to honor Kobe Bryant in 2020 season". 247Sports. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
27. "Carolina Panthers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
28. Edwards', Josh (October 4, 2020). "Buccaneers vs. Chargers final score: Tom Brady rallies Tampa to win over rookie Justin Herbert". CBSSports.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
29. "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Chicago Bears – October 8th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 10, 2020.
30. "Carlton Davis 2020 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
31. Patra, Kevin (February 7, 2017). "What we learned from Buccaneers win over Chiefs in Super Bowl LV". NFL.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
32. "Super Bowl LV – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – February 7th, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
33. Smith, Scott (October 7, 2021). "Carlton Davis Heads to Injured Reserve". Buccaneers.com.
34. Smith, Scott (December 3, 2021). "Bucs Activate Carlton Davis, Promote Breshad Perriman". Buccaneers.com.
35. Smith, Scott (March 16, 2022). "Carlton Davis Signs New Deal to Stay with Bucs". Buccaneers.com. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
36. Smith, Scott (March 13, 2024). "Bucs Trade Carlton Davis to Lions, Add Third-Round Pick". Buccaneers.com.
37. "TB BUCS CARLTON DAVIS APOLOGIZES FOR TWEETING ASIAN SLUR Claims He Didn't Know Meaning". TMZ.com. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.

External links

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers bio
• Auburn Tigers bio