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Wednesday, April 18

Book on OT Leonard Davis

Here's a rundown of what I've had to say about Texas OT LEONARD DAVIS since the beginning of the college-football season.

March 21
With his huge frame and the improvement he's shown as a pass-blocker, Davis is still battling Florida's Kenyatta Walker to see who will end up being the first OT taken off the board.

Feb. 28
While he worked at left tackle with the Longhorns, some may view Davis as more of a natural right tackle in the NFL. I've been hearing that the Cincinnati Bengals are intrigued with his overall ability.

Feb. 7
Huge and talented, Davis improved steadily as the 2000 season went along, with a noticeable upgrade when it came to his pass-blocking consistency at left tackle.

Jan.12
As a converted defensive lineman, Davis is still learning the position. He made monumental progress as a pass-protector this season. At 6-foot-5 and 355 pounds, he is a mammoth and explosive run-blocker. If his pass blocking continues to improve, he will be an ideal right tackle who can key a team's running game in the NFL .

Jan. 4
Improved as a pass-protecting LT as the season progressed, but there will be those observers who view Davis as more of a RT candidate for the NFL.

Dec. 31
Showed dominating skills from his LT spot in certain games, particularly his ability to move defenders off the line of scrimmage in run-blocking situations. With the improvement he showed as a pro-style pass blocker, Davis isn't automatically being looked at as strictly a RT prospect in the NFL.

Dec. 7
The former defensive lineman has come a long way in terms of understanding the LT position and has proven to be destructive when it comes to moving defenders off the line of scrimmage. However, he's still a work-in-progress as a pro-style pass blocker, meaning that he could end up being more ideally suited for a RT spot in the NFL.

Nov. 29
During the latter half of the season, Davis' ability to move defenders off the line of scrimmage has allowed the Longhorns to run the football with a great deal of success. He's also improved his pass-protection skills. Against Texas A&M, Chris Simms completed 16-of-24 passes for 383 yards and in the third quarter alone was 8-for-8 for 234 yards and three TDs.

Nov. 22
Davis and the Longhorns had the week off in preparation for their regular-season finale on Friday in Austin against Texas A&M.

Nov. 15
Has been a major-league destroyer at LT over the last four weeks, with his dominating run-blocking ability allowing senior Hodges Mitchell to post big numbers. Against Kansas, Mitchell ended up with 264 yards rushing. As a team, Texas ran for 396 yards. Throughout the season, whenever the Longhorns have been faced with a key third down situation, they chose to run successfully behind the huge and powerful Davis.

Nov. 8
Has been a force this season when it comes to moving defenders off the line of scrimmage. That was the case again this past week in the rain at Lubbock against Texas Tech. Thanks in large part to Davis, the Longhorns finished with 233 yards on the ground.

Nov. 1
Last week against Baylor, the Longhorn offense struck through the air, with Major Applewhite throwing for 383 yards. Since the loss at Stanford in mid-September, Davis has gone six games without allowing a sack.

Oct. 26
Over the last two weeks against Colorado and Missouri, Davis has keyed a solid Longhorn ground attack. It was Davis who delivered the key block that sprung Hodges Mitchell for a 41-yard TD gallop against Missouri Saturday. For the day, Texas rushed for 212 yards, with Mitchell accounting for 151.

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