Biography

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Sean DavisSafetyMaryland6-1, 202Washington, D.C.Maret School2nd Round – 58th Overall**

CAREER NOTES
Appeared in 50 games (40 starts) and finished with 305 total tackles in his Maryland tenure.

2015 SEASON
Started all 12 games, leading the defense with 70 solo tackles and second in combined stops (88)…ranked second in the nation with five forced fumbles, the second-most in school history…tied for the team lead with three interceptions…had at least four tackles in every game…notched his 300th career tackle at Michigan State (11/14)…totaled nine tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble vs. USF (9/19)…led the defense with 11 tackles (10 solo) at Rutgers (11/28), along with an interception in the second half.

2014 SEASON
Started all 13 games, including a pair at cornerback and finished second on the team with 115 tackles – ranking fourth in the nation in first in the Big Ten among defensive backs...added eight pass breakups, four tackles for losses, 1.0 sack and a forced fumble...tied for fifth in the Big Ten averaging 9.0 tackles per game…set a career-high 17 tackles vs. Wisconsin (10/25)…totaled seven tackles vs. Stanford in the Foster Farms Bowl (12/30).

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2013 SEASON**
Had a team-high 102 total tackles, averaging 7.8 per game to rank ninth in the ACC…started all 13 games at safety…set a then career-high 12 tackles vs. Florida State (10/5)…led the defense with 11 stops (8 solo) vs. Syracuse (11/9)…tallied nine tackles in the Military Bowl vs. Marshall (12/27).

2012 SEASON
Appeared in all 12 games making two starts at safety...also saw time on special teams.

HIGH SCHOOL
A three-year starter at cornerback at Maret School…totaled 87 tackles, three forced fumbles and three interceptions as a senior, while rushing for 823 yards and seven touchdown with 601 receiving yards and five touchdowns…returned three kickoffs and two punts for scores.

PERSONAL
Born in Washington, D.C….son of Sean and Lisa Davis…is trilingual, speaking English, Chinese and French…majored in communication.

Post-Pick Press Conference

Carnell Lake Re: Sean Davis
We selected Sean Davis in the second round. He is a defensive back from Maryland. He is a really productive player at two positions: safety and corner. He has been really productive in the tackling department. He has a good eye for playing the ball in the passing game. We really look forward to having him in the building. He is going to provide us with a lot of versatility and depth at a needed position, which is a safety for us. That's where we plan to play him. I think he will do an outstanding job there.

Based on some quick reading on him, they didn't really designate strong safety and free safety at Maryland. How would you classify him in the way he played there and how you want him to play here?
Well I think in our system he will be required to play both strong safety and free safety. Right now, primarily we will try and plug him in strong safety. Mike Mitchell is primarily our free safety. That is where we will start. I'm assuming he will wind up playing both positions at some point

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Re: Coverage skills:**
His coverage skills, in my opinion, are very good. He has a lot of experience covering slots and tight ends at safety, but he also played a year at corner which gives him even more experience. You take a player like that who last year played corner who is going to come in and play safety. The game will slow down quite a bit for him inside. It will be lot easier for him to cover. It's an added bonus for him to have experience in playing both positions in college.

Why is he translated into a safety?
Our needs require us for him to play safety. He was a defensive back in college. He has 300 tackles. That puts him atop all of the guys we looked at the position. He's got very good experience at tackling. He's a good tackler. He provides good coverage skills. He can make good plays at the ball. That is one area that we had to adjust. He's the guy that is going to fit the deal for us.

Re: Similar to Mike Mitchell:
Mike Mitchell coming out was a very good athlete. Sean Davis as well, a very good athlete. From the Combine standpoint, he was a really fast defensive back. He was number two overall for all defensive backs in the three columns. He was third in the 20-yard shuttles for all defensive backs in the Combine. He had a 37-½ vertical, 21 on the bench, which was second of all defensive backs in the draft. This guy is an exceptional guy. We are excited to have him. He is a 6-1, 200 pounder. He is kind of everything you are looking for when you are talking about versatility for defensive backs. His measures will matchup with just about anybody on the board.

Re: Robert Golden:
You want to have someone with exceptional skills if you can get them. Especially when it all comes together it is very easy for those guys to make plays, the physical tools to get it done. Not only that, Sean is a very intelligent individual. He made calls at the safety position at Maryland. For him, not only corner, but also safety at Maryland, says a lot about his intelligence. Not only that, as a footnote, he speaks three languages. So I am not worried about his ability to adapt to our playbook.

What languages does he speak?
He speaks Chinese, French and English.

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Do you envision coverage with these very athletic safeties?**
When you have offenses that spread you out, a lot of offensives do that, 70-percent of the snaps now are passing plays on the league. When they spread you, offenses are spreading you out to create mismatches. They will put a player like (Rob) Gronkowski out wide and force you to matchup with either a linebacker or a safety on Gronkowski. Well you have to have a guy that has the size and can cover. He provides that coverage for us. That's one of the exciting parts of Sean Davis that we like.

What is your expectation with the secondary players you have acquired over the last two years?
I'm excited. I've been coaching here for six years. It's been a long time as you know since we've had a first rounder [from the secondary] for the Steelers. Now in back-to-back years we've had two second round players. It's coming together. It feels good.

Re: Evaluating communication on film:
It's hard to say exactly what they're doing. Through the interview process, from the Senior Bowl to the Combine, to bringing them in the building, sitting down and talking with them and watching film with them, you get an idea of what they know, how they communicate and their responsibilities within their defense in college. That gives you some understanding of what they're capable of.

Do you watch your own film with them?
No. We watch their film. We want to get an idea of what defenses they played, what their responsibilities were within the defense. From that we can determine their football intelligence and get some comfort level with their base understanding of football.

Did you rank him as your first choice for safeties?
For me personally, yes I did.

Was he first on the Steelers' draft board?
I'm not going to talk about the Steelers' board. I can tell you about my board. I had him rated very high. I think the game has progressed where you need a cover safety. It's absolutely essential in my opinion. Speaking not only as a coach, but also as a former player, you want to have versatility in your secondary to be able to matchup when necessary. Otherwise you're going to be trying to substitute and offenses might not give you the opportunity to do that from snap to snap.

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Is he the closest to Carnell Lake that you've had?**
I like what he's brought to the table. I think he has some exceptional qualities. Versatility is one of them. I think he and Mike Mitchell will work well together in the secondary.

What is the area where Sean needs to improve the most?
I think because of Maryland's needs, they had to move him around to try to plug holes for their defense. He was willing and capable of doing that. I think just for him to settle down in one position will give him a chance to really hone in and develop skills at a particular position. For us, that will be safety.

In an emergency, would you play Davis at corner?
I would not hesitate. Playing corner at Maryland, he knows the position. It will just be a matter for him of dialing it down. He will get a chance to work on his man-to-man skills when he gets here.

Are you worried about having a few players with little experience?
That's just a process I believe. That's just a part of bringing younger players in. They have to develop. You have to give them time. You have to be patient sometimes to let them get a foothold and get some confidence within themselves in the scheme. I know the NFL now is a "get it done, be productive now or move on" mentality. For a younger player coming in, there's no better place, no better city and no better team to play for than the Steelers. That's one of the reasons the Steelers have been successful for a long time. It's because they have an understanding of football, they're patient with their players and they make good selections.

Will you change what you do to fit Burns' skill set?
Sure. I think it's a must to have multiple tools in your toolbox. Artie (Burns) is going to learn that over time, but we're going to let Artie be Artie, too. Ike Taylor was successful for 12 years in the league, primarily as a bump-and-run corner, who could matchup against the best receiver on the field week-in and week-out. If need be, we'll play him like that. Hopefully we can develop Artie's tools in other areas as well.

Re: Davis' quality in run support:
One of the things that was impressive to me about Sean Davis was when the ball broke loose, he made a lot of tackles. Three hundred tackles in college is a lot of tackles. There are maybe only a few more people that had more tackles than he did. Two of them were safeties. When you think about that, there is no other DB coming out of college football right now that has had as many tackles as Sean Davis has had.

Conference Call Transcript

Why did they move you to corner last year?
We switched defenses, as we went from a 3-4 to a 4-3. That was also because of our conference changed from the ACC to the BIG 10. 

How did one help you with the other?
Just knowing the ins-and-outs of what both spots have to do, what they're in charge of, where the certain stretches are of the defense and just seeing the game at a whole different angle – just literally watching it sideways as a corner, rather than being the center fielder of the defense. I think it's definitely going to help me know the ins-and-outs of the defense, know the different formations, see different things from different views and just help my football IQ.

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Re: On what it's like to be a Steeler:**
My dad loves the Steelers. It's awesome, I couldn't hope for anything better. It's the perfect situation.

You did grow up near Baltimore, correct?
I grew up closer to Washington D.C.

Why was your dad a Steelers' fan?
He just loves Coach Tomlin, and he loves that black and yellow. There's something about that black and yellow. He has always stayed a Steelers' fan.

Re: If his dad was excited and if he saw him tonight:
Oh yeah, I'm looking right at him. He might be happier than me. He got his cool face on though, his poker face. I know deep inside, he's going crazy.

What's your dad's name?
His name is Sean, too. I'm a Jr., and he's a Sr.

Re: On how he can help cover tight ends:
That's where I feel like my skill set is very handy. I'm big as a safety, strong as a linebacker, but I'm quick as a corner. I feel like the game is changing with these crazy athletic tight ends, so I feel like me being out there, I can cover those guys as well as fit into the run game. I'm just happy to be a part of it.

Re: On how familiar he is with Carnell Lake:
A great player. I got a chance to sit down and talk with him when I went on my visit. I just can't wait to get coached by one of the best defensive backs coaches out there.

Anybody currently you model your game after?
Currently, no. I love Sean Taylor. Nobody currently.

Re: On being able to speak Chinese:
Chinese is a very hard language. For me to be able to take that for three years as my high school language, I feel like that definitely helps me out. Just learning different things and staying on top of the game, that's one of the most challenging things I've ever done in my life, to stick with that for three years.