The War Room: Andre Davis, WR, Virginia Tech 
Wide Receiver
Andre Davis
College: Virginia Tech
Year: Senior
Height: 6’1"
Weight: 194
Birthday: June 12, 1979
40 Time: 4.29
Strengths: Andre Davis will be the fastest receiver available in next year’s draft. He came to Tech on a track scholarship and holds several school records. He can stretch a defense with his speed, and has no trouble running under the deep ball, something he practiced often with Michael Vick.
Hurt most of last year, and buried under the avalanche of Vick hype, Davis was nonetheless electric whenever he was on the field. In one amazing quarter against West Virginia, Davis scored on a pass, run and punt return. In all, he ran three punts back for scores last year and led the nation with a 22 yard return average.
Davis has excellent receiving skills and has become a formidable blocker downfield, getting lots of practice with Vick running first, throwing much later. His numbers dropped off a bit in 2000, but that was due to both he and Vick being hurt for most of the season.
Areas of concern: Experience. Davis didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. Last year, he missed parts of five games and was only able to start eight.
And then, of course, he’s had Michael Vick as his quarterback, so he hasn’t seen too many balls come his way (only 61 catches the past two years), and those that have were mostly bombs. Thus, Davis still needs to work on the nuances of the position: running crisper routes, improving his footwork, learning how to adjust to the defense. He also has a tendency to tire easily, and needs to increase his stamina.
Is he sponge-worthy?: Possibly. Davis is the nation’s best punt returner and Dom Capers would likely be intrigued by a guy capable of giving Houston the upper hand in field position. But can Davis have the same impact on the offense?
After this year, we’ll know for sure, assuming Davis can stay healthy. Tech’s new quarterback (Grant Noel or Jason Davis) will likely need to lean heavily on his best receiver while he adjusts to the pressure of having to replace Vick. If Davis is up to the challenge, he could have a breakout year similar to the one he had in 1999 (when he averaged 27.5 yards a catch and caught 9 of Vick’s 12 touchdown throws).
Andre Davis 
Return to The War Room 
One out of two isn’t bad CNN/SI reports on Andre Davis’ decision to return to Tech for his senior year.
Davis leads Virginia Tech over West Virginia The Sporting News recounts Andre Davis’ remarkable performance against the Mountaineers.
