Defensive end Marcus Davenport was a first-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2018 NFL Draft. The team moved up to select him 14th overall out of UTSA hoping he could be a foundational piece of their defense for years to come. When looking at the raw stats, it is easy to say that he fell short of those expectations.
Marcus Davenport has struggled to stay on the field, missing at least two games in each of his first five seasons in the NFL. He has started 32 out of 63 games he has played in as he has been a rotational piece thus far in his career.
Given the limited playing time, having 21.5 sacks in that amount of games isn’t terrible. But when you are selected in the first round, a little more production is expected. He also had only 0.5 sacks in the 2022 season despite playing a career-high 15 games.
That made him one of the more intriguing free agents this offseason. The draft pedigree was there but the production has been spotty. In a relatively weak pass rushers class, Marcus Davenport still managed to land a solid prove-it deal.
He signed a one-year, $13 million contract with the Minnesota Vikings to bolster their pass rush. While some may be questioning the decision, it is clear that there is some skill to work with here.
If you take a deeper dive into Marcus Davenport’s stats, he is actually a consistent pass rusher. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he has ranked in the top 20 in pressure rate in every season of his career with a minimum of 200 pass-rushing attempts.
Marcus Davenport has recorded a 13 percent pressure rate in every season since 2018, putting him in elite company. The only other player to achieve that is Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
A breakout season is coming for Marcus Davenport eventually. He can get into the opponent’s backfield with consistency but hasn’t been able to finish the play with a sack. Averaging nearly one quarterback hit per game in his career, if he starts getting home in 2023, he will cash in on a lucrative deal as a free agent again in 2024.
