The Jets have signed Ashtyn Davis, their first of two third-round picks (No. 68 overall) out of Cal.
Davis, a former walk-on to both the Bears' track and football teams, totaled 171 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, 3 forced fumbles, 19 pass defenses and 7 interceptions in 49 games (33 starts). He played CB his first season before switching to safety and earned second-team All-Pac 12 honors in 2019. He was also a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, awarded to the nation's top former walk-on.
"I think I can contribute anywhere they put me. I'm comfortable on the outside and inside, whatever the case may be," Davis said. He added that defensive coordinator Gregg Williams "is a guy that likes people that know multiple positions. I think that I'm a good fit for that. That was something that I kind of took the next step on. After my first year of playing safety, I wanted to know every position and not just my responsibility. That way if someone went down they could put me in."
The 6'0", 207-pounder was also a four-time All-American on Cal's track team, qualifying for the NCAA Track & Field Championships in '18. Davis, a Santa Cruz, CA native, took his track speed to the gridiron, returning kicks for an average of 22.9 yards per return. He was also a gunner for Cal's punt team.
"Ashtyn brings speed, ball skills and versatility," Jets GM Joe Douglas said. "You can see him line up and cover a slot receiver and cover him in man coverage, you can see him line up as a high safety and range over to the sideline to make a play on the ball, you can see him attack the alleys in the run game, you can see him blitz. … Adding Ashtyn and letting him compete, the hope is that he can provide that kind of versatility and playmaking to the back end."
Davis is the seventh player taken by the Jets out of California all-time, the first since WR Chad Hansen in Round 4 in 2017 and the highest since another WR of note, Jets Ring of Honor member Wesley Walker, taken in the second round, 33rd overall, in 1977.
The Jets also have a good run with the 68th selection, which they acquired from the Giants in exchange for DL Leonard Williams last October. In the '66 AFL Draft they went with TE Pete Lammons out of Texas. He started all but one game in his six Jets seasons, including Super Bowl III. Then came LB Richard Wood out of Southern Cal in 1975, CB Donald Dykes from Southeastern Louisiana in '79, and T Siupeli "Soupy" Malamala from Washington in '92.
