The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted former Maryland defensive back Sean Davis in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday, with the 58th overall pick.
Davis is Maryland's highest NFL selection since Torrey Smith in 2011, who went to the Ravens with the 58th overall pick as well.
Davis did not become a star during a four-year career in College Park, but he began to earn a lot of draft buzz as the event got closer. He drew praise for his performance at Maryland's pro day and at the NFL Scouting Combine before that, when he ran a 4.46-second 40-yard dash and measured in at 6'1 and a muscular 201 pounds.
The Terrapins recruited Davis out of the Maret School in Washington in the class of 2012, when he was rated the No. 4 player in the District and the No. 60 cornerback nationally. He made several spot starts and played a lot in nickel packages as a freshman, then took over as a full-time starter in each of his last three seasons. He transitioned to cornerback from safety before 2015, his senior year.
Davis intercepted five passes and forced seven fumbles as a Terp. He had 319 tackles. He is hugely talented, and the Steelers will hope that time with an NFL coaching staff helps Davis harness his substantial athleticism and iron out some of the consistency issues he faced at Maryland, whether he ultimately plays cornerback or safety in the pros.
Sometimes, Davis was frustrating for Maryland.
But sometimes, he was wowing.
In the NFL, his goal will be to offer more of the latter than the former.